System and interfaces for managing workplace events

ABSTRACT

A system and associated interfaces are provided that permit alert of an evacuation event to a workplace environment. In one aspect, an evacuation alert device having at least one speaker and a plurality of LEDs may be mounted at a worksite. For instance, it is appreciated that there may be an evacuation alert device that can alert the worksite of an evacuation event by emitting light from the plurality of LEDs and/or emitting sound from the at least one speaker. For instance, an evacuation alert device may be paired with an external system, and, in response to receiving indication of an evacuation event from the external system, may alert the worksite of the evacuation event.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of U.S.Application Ser. No. 15/803,719, entitled “SYSTEM AND INTERFACES FORMANAGING WORKPLACE EVENTS” filed on Nov. 3, 2017, which is hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety. Application Ser. No.15/803,719 claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of U.S. applicationSer. No. 15/419,735, entitled “SYSTEM AND INTERFACES FOR MANAGINGWORKPLACE EVENTS” filed on Jan. 30, 2017, which is herein incorporatedby reference in its entirety. Application Ser. No. 15/419,735 claimspriority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/309,206, entitled “SYSTEM AND INTERFACES FOR MANAGING WORKPLACEEVENTS” filed on Mar. 16, 2016, which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety. This Application claims the benefit under 35U.S.C. § 120 of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/419,735, entitled “SYSTEMAND INTERFACES FOR MANAGING WORKPLACE EVENTS” filed on Jan. 30, 2017,which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

NOTICE OF MATERIAL SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT PROTECTION

Portions of the material in this patent document are subject tocopyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States andof other countries. The owner of the copyright rights has no objectionto the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or thepatent disclosure, as it appears in the United States Patent andTrademark Office publicly available file or records, but otherwisereserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The copyright owner does nothereby waive any of its rights to have this patent document maintainedin secrecy, including without limitation its rights pursuant to 37C.F.R. § 1.14.

SUMMARY

Systems exist that alert users to dangerous working conditions, such asradiation, physical, chemical, air quality, and other dangers. However,it is appreciated that it would be useful to have personalized monitorsin the workplace that could store and communicate events associated withparticular workers. Such monitors would be particularly useful in theconstruction industry where slips/falls and other workplace accidentsare commonplace. Existing systems and software tools used to monitorworkplace conditions are not sufficient in identifying what has occurredto a specific worker at a specific location within the workplace.

What is needed is a system and associated interfaces that permits themonitoring of workers within the workplace environment. In oneembodiment, a monitor having various sensing capabilities may beassigned to a worker (e.g., referred to herein as a monitored subject)that records various parameters that are personal to the worker. Forinstance, it is appreciated that there may be sensor that can beattached to the monitored subject (e.g., at the belt line) that isadapted to monitor certain parameters associated with the worker'senvironment. For instance, a sensor assigned to the monitored subjectmay be capable of determining the location of the subject, along withmotion, impacts, altitude, and other environmental parameters that couldaffect the health or other condition of the worker. In some embodiments,the sensor is worn at the beltline to accurately measure movement of awearer's core.

Further, it is appreciated that it may be helpful to be able to detectslips and falls at the worksite and to alert appropriate personnel inreal time. A system may be provided that includes personalized sensorsthat record and detect environmental parameters that could affect aworker, and a distributed computer system infrastructure that is capableof processing events received from sensors, sending alerts to managementpersonnel, reporting, showing location status among other functionalcapabilities. Such a system may be helpful in decreasing response timeto accidents. Another benefit may include providing a record of anyaccidents for use in managing workers compensation claims.

It is further appreciated that it may be useful to monitor equipment ata worksite. A system may be provided that detects the presence of anoperator of a piece of equipment and determines whether the operator isauthorized to operate the piece of equipment. The system may determine alocation of the piece of equipment, and report various statisticsassociated with the piece of equipment, such as fuel consumption. Such asystem may be helpful, for example, in monitoring the utilization ofvarious pieces of equipment, allowing for a supervisor to equalize theamount of time each piece of equipment is in use.

It is further appreciated that it may be useful to provide an alert ofan evacuation event to a worksite. A system may be provided thatreceives an indication of an evacuation event and alerts the worksite ofthe evacuation event. For example, the system may receive the indicationof the evacuation event from an external system, and may emit lightand/or emit sound to alert the worksite of the evacuation event. Such asystem may be helpful, for example, in increasing the efficiency ofalerting workers of an evacuation event, increasing the speed at whichthe workers can evacuate the worksite, and thus increasing safety at theworksite. Such evacuation alerts may be provided, for example, by analerting device that is capable of being placed at a location and can betriggered by a user, a user's sensor, a management system, or otherentity. Such a device may be capable of being located and maycommunicate with other entities via a wireless network.

In another implementation, the system may be capable of tracking theworker as a resource in providing information to other computer systemsto facilitate resource management and productivity tracking. Forinstance, the system may be capable of reporting when workers are on oroff site, as well as their approximate locations on-site. For instance,such information may be used by a resource management and planningapplication to indicate when particular types of workers (e.g.,plumbers) are at a construction site for a particular period of time. Inone example, it may be useful to know and track in real-time how manyplumbers were on a particular jobsite for how many hours for budgetingpurposes.

In one implementation, individual sensors are assigned to monitoredsubjects, and these sensors are capable of communicating over acommunication network. In one embodiment, the communication networktakes the form of a wireless mesh network comprising a number of nodesthat are capable of passing messages received from sensors. The meshnetwork may also be coupled to a distributed computer system that iscapable of receiving and processing event data received from thesensors. Such event data may be received, stored, and processed and mayresult in alert messages being sent to particular manager users.Further, such data may be analyzed and presented to manager users forthe purposes of monitoring individual and groups of users, reporting,determining compliance, budgeting, resource planning, as well as othermanagement operations.

According to one implementation, the sensor may be a wearable portion ofthe system. In one example, the sensor is a small battery—powered unitworn on the body of the monitored subject. For instance, the sensor maybe worn on the belt, although in some cases it may be worn in a pocketof a safety vest or may be integrated into other apparel/equipment. Inone example implementation, the sensor is worn on a belt around asubject's waist which allows the sensor to accurately measure movementof a person's core.

In one implementation, the sensor may include one or more controlsand/or indications that may be used by a monitored subject. In oneexample implementation, the sensor may include a button that permits thewearer to indicate to others that an emergency or other situation isoccurring, causing a message and/or alert to be sent to a managementsystem (e.g., a manager's device and/or sensor). In another example, thesensor may include one or more indicators, such as lights (e.g., LEDs),audio indicators (e.g., a piezo sound transducer), to indicate asensor/wearer status, indicate event status, and/or provide feedback tothe wearer or other user.

As discussed, the system may be used to perform a number of functionsassociated with monitoring a subject at the worksite. For instance, thesystem may be capable of determining certain types of events that may bedetrimental to the subject (e.g., slips/falls, fall off of aladder/building, impacts, throwing of the sensor, dropping of thesensor, running, jumping, etc.). For instance, the system may determine,in association with an event, the location of the event, the time thatthe event occurred, and any associated parameters that may be necessaryto understand the nature of the event. For example, the system made beable to determine how high of a fall the subject experienced, how hardthe fall, the type of fall, etc. The system may also be capable ofdetermining whether the sensor was actually worn by the subject at thetime of the event (e.g., to prevent fraudulent worker's compensationclaims). In another implementation, the system may be configured todetermine the subject's altitude at a particular location to determinetheir location (e.g., in a building).

The system may also perform a number of identification/compliancefunctions such as determining if the subject is on a jobsite at aparticular time, geo-fencing functions such as, for example, determiningwhether a person is permitted in a particular area, and other monitoringactivities and functions. Such information may be capable of being usedfor resource management, budgeting, safety, compliance and otherfunctions.

Further, it is appreciated that it may be helpful to have a sensordevice that improves battery life. Accordingly, certain featuresincluding, but not limited to, how the sensor communicates, when thesensor is active, and how the sensor responds to events can contributetowards a longer battery life. In one embodiment, the sensorcommunicates using a protocol wherein the sensor communicates onlyduring predetermined time slots. For instance, upon assignment to aparticular monitored subject, system components may assign a particularsensor a timeslot in which it communicates on the mesh network. Becausethe sensor communicates only during this period, the amount of time thatthe sensor needs to be active (e.g., and powering antennas and otherinterface circuits), is reduced. Further, the detection of particularinputs from the sensor may cause the sensor to become active. Othermodes of sensor and/or system operation may be provided that areconducive to preserving power.

Further, specialized communication nodes may be provided that areconfigurable in a mesh-type communication network. Such nodes may bedistributed throughout the workplace and facilitate sensor communicationof event and status information. Some nodes repeat information receivedby sensors to other nodes, and other types (e.g., gateway nodes) areconnectable to other types of data networks (e.g., a conventional datanetwork) and communicate the sensor data to computer systems usingstandard protocols (e.g., TCP/IP).

According to one aspect of the present invention, a system is providedcomprising a plurality of communication nodes configured in a wirelessmesh network, a sensor, assigned to a monitored subject, comprising awireless network interface adapted to communicate with the mesh network,a processor adapted to detect a plurality of workplace events occurringto the monitored subject and wherein the processor is further adapted tocommunicate an event message over the wireless mesh network to amanaging computer system, wherein the event message comprises a locationof the event, information indicating that the monitored subjectexperienced at least one event of a group comprising a fall event, ajump event, and a slip and fall event. According to one embodiment, thesensor further comprises at least one accelerometer, a gyroscopicelement, and a pressure sensor.

According to another embodiment, the sensor is further adapted todetect, responsive to a trigger, data for a defined period of time fromthe at least one accelerometer, gyroscopic element, and pressure sensor,and communicate the data within the event message. According to anotherembodiment, the system is adapted to analyze at least one of theplurality of workplace events, the analysis of at least one eventincluding a determination of a freefall duration, a detection of a jump,an altimeter analysis, an impact detection, a rotational analysis, apost-fall analysis, and a proximity sensor analysis.

According to another embodiment, the system further comprises a managingcomputer system having an interface through which a user is capable ofviewing information relating to the plurality of workplace events.According to another embodiment, the sensor further comprises aproximity sensor that senses when the sensor is being worn by theassigned subject, and wherein an indication of the proximity sensor isused by the system to determine a validity of at least one of theworkplace events. According to another embodiment, the plurality ofcommunication nodes and sensor are adapted to transmit information usinga plurality of communication channels, wherein each transmitter hasspecific time slots in which to transmit the information. According toanother embodiment, the system is adapted to dynamically assign timeslots for each of the transmitters.

According to another embodiment, the system further comprises a check-insystem that assigns the sensor to the monitored subject, the check-insystem including a reader that is adapted to scan an identifierassociated with the sensor, and to create a record of an associationbetween the scanned sensor and the monitored subject. According toanother embodiment, the sensor is adapted to determine the location ofthe sensor based on detection of one or more of the plurality ofcommunication nodes in the wireless mesh network. According to anotherembodiment, the determination of the location is determined responsiveto detected signal strength of the one or more of the plurality ofcommunication nodes in the wireless mesh network. According to anotherembodiment, the processor is adapted to determine an altitude of themonitored subject.

According to another embodiment, the managing computer system furthercomprises at least one user interface control that when selected, causesthe interface to display event information relating to at least oneworkplace event that has occurred with the monitored subject. Accordingto another embodiment, the managing computer system further comprises atleast one user interface that displays one or more events associatedwith the monitored subject. According to another embodiment, themanaging computer system further comprises at least one user interfacethat displays a graphic representation of a workplace site and arepresentation of one or more monitored subjects located one on thegraphic representation responsive to a determination of locations of oneor more sensor devices associated with respective ones of the one ormore monitored subjects.

According to another embodiment, the sensor comprises an accelerometeradapted to detect a free fall event. According to another embodiment,the sensor is configured to operate in a low power mode wherein theprocessor operates in a stand-by mode and wherein the gyroscopic elementis powered off. According to another embodiment, the sensor is adaptedto transition from the low power mode to an active mode responsive toencountering a triggering event. According to another embodiment, theprocessor, responsive to the triggering event, is adapted to transitionto an operating mode, and is adapted to power on the gyroscopic elementand record data from the at least one accelerometer, gyroscopic element,and pressure sensor. According to another embodiment, the triggeringevent occurs responsive to a detection by the at least oneaccelerometer.

According to another embodiment, the sensor comprises a sensor elementthat indicates whether the sensor is being worn by the monitoredsubject. According to another embodiment, the sensor element includes aproximity sensor adapted to detect a presence of a monitored subject.According to another embodiment, the sensor element includes a clipswitch adapted to indicate a change in status of a clip that attachesthe sensor to the monitored subject. According to another embodiment,the processor is adapted to detect one or more false events. Accordingto another embodiment, the one or more false events includes at leastone of a group comprising a sensor drop event and a sensor throw event.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a non-volatilecomputer-readable medium is provided encoded with instructions forexecution on a computer system, the instructions when executed, providea system comprising a plurality of communication nodes configured in awireless mesh network, a sensor, assigned to a monitored subject,comprising, a wireless network interface adapted to communicate with themesh network, a processor adapted to detect a plurality of workplaceevents occurring to the monitored subject and wherein the processor isfurther adapted to communicate an event message over the wireless meshnetwork to a managing computer system, wherein the event messagecomprises a location of the event, information indicating that themonitored subject experienced at least one event of a group comprising afall event, a jump event, and a slip and fall event. According toanother embodiment, the sensor further comprises at least oneaccelerometer, a gyroscopic element, and a pressure sensor.

According to another embodiment, the sensor is further adapted todetect, responsive to a trigger, data for a defined period of time fromthe at least one accelerometer, gyroscopic element; and pressure sensor,and communicate the data within the event message. According to anotherembodiment, the system is adapted to analyze at least one of theplurality of workplace events, the analysis of at least one eventincluding a determination of a freefall duration, a detection of a jump,an altimeter analysis, an impact detection, a rotational analysis, apost-fall analysis, and a proximity sensor analysis.

According to another embodiment, the system further comprises a managingcomputer system having an interface through which a user is capable ofviewing information relating to the plurality of workplace events.According to another embodiment, the sensor further comprises aproximity sensor that senses when the sensor is being worn by theassigned subject, and wherein an indication of the proximity sensor isused by the system to determine a validity of at least one of theworkplace events. According to another embodiment, a plurality ofcommunication nodes and sensor are adapted to transmit information usinga plurality of communication channels, wherein each transmitter hasspecific time slots in which to transmit the information.

According to another embodiment, the system is adapted to dynamicallyassign time slots for each of the transmitters. According to anotherembodiment, the system further comprises a check-in system that assignsthe sensor to the monitored subject, the check-in system including areader that is adapted to scan an identifier associated with the sensor,and to create a record of an association between the scanned sensor andthe monitored subject. According to another embodiment, the sensor isadapted to determine the location of the sensor based on detection ofone or more of the plurality of communication nodes in the wireless meshnetwork.

According to another embodiment, the determination of the location isdetermined responsive to detected signal strength of the one or more ofthe plurality of communication nodes in the wireless mesh network.According to another embodiment, the processor is adapted to determinean altitude of the monitored subject.

According to another embodiment, the managing computer system furthercomprises at least one user interface control that when selected, causesthe interface to display event information relating to at least oneworkplace event that has occurred with the monitored subject. Accordingto another embodiment, the managing computer system further comprises atleast one user interface that displays one or more events associatedwith the monitored subject. According to another embodiment, themanaging computer system further comprises at least one user interfacethat displays a graphic representation of a workplace site and arepresentation of one or more monitored subjects located one on thegraphic representation responsive to a determination of locations of oneor more sensor devices associated with respective ones of the one ormore monitored subjects. According to another embodiment, the sensorcomprises an accelerometer adapted to detect a free fall event.

According to another embodiment, the sensor is configured to operate ina low power mode wherein the processor operates in a stand-by mode andwherein the gyroscopic element is powered off. According to anotherembodiment, the sensor is adapted to transition from the low power modeto an active mode responsive to encountering a triggering event.According to another embodiment, the processor, responsive to thetriggering event, is adapted to transition to an operating mode, and isadapted to power on the gyroscopic element and record data from the atleast one accelerometer, gyroscopic element, and pressure sensor.According to another embodiment, the triggering event occurs responsiveto a detection by the at least one accelerometer.

According to another aspect, a device is provided comprising a memoryelement, a processor coupled to the memory element; and anaccelerometer, wherein the processor is adapted to determine, based onan output signal of the accelerometer, whether the device should beplaced in a programming mode. According to one embodiment, the processoris activated responsive to a signal produced by the accelerometer.According to another embodiment, the processor is adapted to determinewhether the device is placed in a particular orientation, and if sodetermined, the processor places the device in the programming mode.

According to another embodiment, the device is a sensor capable of beingprogrammed for a particular application. According to anotherembodiment, the processor is further adapted to, after placing thedevice in the programming mode, search for a signal from a programmingdevice. According to another embodiment, the device is a part of a groupof one or more similar devices packaged together.

According to another embodiment, the group of one or more similardevices can be programmed simultaneously if the group of one or moresimilar devices are placed in the particular orientation. According toanother embodiment, the processor is adapted to place the device in theprogramming mode responsive to the device being placed in the particularorientation during a predetermined time period. According to anotherembodiment, the processor is adapted to place the device in theprogramming mode responsive to the device being placed in a sequence oftwo or more orientations.

According to another embodiment, the device is assigned to a monitoredsubject. According to another embodiment, the device is designed todetect a plurality of workplace events experienced by the monitoredsubject. According to another embodiment, the device, when placed in theprogramming mode, receives a set of predetermined parameters from aprogramming device. According to another embodiment, at least one of theset of predetermined parameters includes an operating parameterassociated with a specific worksite.

According to another aspect, a sensor is provided comprising an elementthat is adapted to attach the sensor to a monitored subject, a wirelessnetwork interface adapted to communicate with a network of communicationnodes, a processor adapted to detect a plurality of workplace eventsoccurring to the monitored subject and wherein the processor is furtheradapted to communicate an event message over the network to a managingcomputer system, wherein the event message comprises a location of theevent, and information indicating that the monitored subject experiencedat least one event of a group comprising a fall event, a jump event, anda slip and fall event. In one embodiment, the sensor further comprisesat least one of a group of elements comprising at least oneaccelerometer, a gyroscopic element, and a pressure sensor.

According to another embodiment, the sensor is further adapted todetect, responsive to a trigger, data for a defined period of time fromthe at least one accelerometer, gyroscopic element, and pressure sensor,and communicate the data within the event message to a managementsystem. According to another embodiment, the sensor is adaptivelycoupled to the management system, and wherein the management system isadapted to analyze at least one of the plurality of workplace events,the analysis of the at least one event including a determination of afreefall duration, a detection of a jump, an altimeter analysis, animpact detection, a rotational analysis, a post-fall analysis, and aproximity sensor analysis. According to another embodiment, the sensorfurther comprises a proximity sensor that senses when the sensor isbeing worn by the monitored subject, and wherein an indication of theproximity sensor is used by the system to determine a validity of atleast one of the workplace events.

According to another embodiment, the sensor and the network ofcommunication nodes are adapted to transmit information using aplurality of communication channels, wherein each transmitter hasspecific time slots in which to transmit the information. According toanother embodiment, the sensor, when not in the sensor's specific timeslot in which to transmit the information, operates in a low power mode.According to another embodiment, the sensor further includes a check-incapability, wherein the check-in capability associates the sensor withthe monitored subject and communicates the association over the networkto the managing computer system. According to another embodiment, thecheck-in capability is performed using RFID.

According to another embodiment, the sensor is adapted to determine thelocation of the sensor based on detection of one or more communicationnodes in the network of communication nodes. According to anotherembodiment, the determination of the location is determined responsiveto detected signal strength of the one or more communication nodes inthe network of communication nodes. According to another embodiment, thesensor is adapted to determine an altitude of the monitored subject.

According to another embodiment, the sensor comprises an accelerometeradapted to detect a free fall event. According to another embodiment,the sensor is configured to operate in a low power mode wherein theprocessor operates in a stand-by mode and wherein the gyroscopic elementis powered off. According to another embodiment, the sensor is adaptedto transition from the low power mode to an active mode responsive todetecting a triggering event. According to another embodiment, theprocessor, responsive to the triggering event, is adapted to transitionto an operating mode, and is adapted to power on the gyroscopic elementand record data from the at least one accelerometer, gyroscopic element,and pressure sensor.

According to another embodiment, the triggering event occurs responsiveto a detection by the at least one accelerometer. According to anotherembodiment, the sensor comprises a sensor element that indicates whetherthe sensor is being worn by the monitored subject. According to anotherembodiment, the sensor element includes a proximity sensor adapted todetect a presence of the monitored subject.

According to another embodiment, the sensor element includes a clipswitch adapted to indicate a change in status of a clip that attachesthe sensor to the monitored subject.

According to another aspect, a communication system is providedcomprising a plurality of communication nodes configured in a wirelessmesh network, the plurality of communication nodes including a pluralityof router nodes, and a plurality of sensor nodes in communication withone or more of the plurality of router nodes, wherein the plurality ofrouter nodes are capable of routing event data generated by theplurality of sensor nodes to a management system, and wherein at leastone router system is configured to provide location data to themanagement system.

According to one embodiment, the at least one router system isconfigured to provide location data to the management system via agateway node. According to another embodiment, the plurality of routernodes are positioned at fixed locations within a workplace, and whereinthe plurality of router nodes are used to determine a location of atleast one of the plurality of sensor nodes. According to anotherembodiment, at least one of the plurality of sensor nodes is adapted todetect at least one event experienced by a monitored subject, the atleast one event being determined from a group comprising a fall event, ajump event, and a slip and fall event.

According to another embodiment, the at least one of the plurality ofsensor nodes is adapted to detect at least one event experienced by amonitored subject, the at least one event being a false event includingat least one of a sensor drop event and a sensor throw event. Accordingto another embodiment, the plurality of communication nodes and theplurality of sensor nodes are adapted to transmit information using aplurality of communication channels, wherein each transmitter hasspecific time slots in which to transmit the information.

According to another embodiment, the communication system is adapted todynamically assign time slots for each of the transmitters. According toanother embodiment, the plurality of sensor nodes and the plurality ofcommunication nodes communicate by utilizing a time division multipleaccess scheme wherein each transmitter has an assigned time slot inwhich the respective transmitter is allowed to transmit.

According to another embodiment, each sensor node in the plurality ofsensor nodes, when not communicating in the sensor node's assigned timeslot, operates in a low power mode. According to another embodiment,each sensor node in the plurality of sensor nodes communicates to theplurality of communication nodes on a predetermined frequency. Accordingto another embodiment, no two adjacent router nodes in the plurality ofrouter nodes transmit on the same communication channel.

According to another embodiment, the plurality of router nodes determinethe location of at least one of the plurality of sensor nodes bydetecting signal strength. According to another embodiment, theplurality of router nodes and the plurality of sensor nodes are adaptedto transmit information using a plurality of communication channels,wherein each transmitter has specific time slots in which to transmitinformation. According to another embodiment, the system is adapted todynamically assign time slots for each of the transmitters.

According to another embodiment, the system further comprises a check-insystem that assigns at least one of the plurality of sensor nodes to themonitored subject, the check-in system including a reader that isadapted to scan an identifier associated with the at least one sensornode, and to create a record of an association between the at least onesensor node and the monitored subject. According to another embodiment,the sensor is adapted to determine the location of at least one of theplurality of sensor nodes based on detection of one or more of theplurality of communication nodes in the wireless mesh network. Accordingto another embodiment, the determination of the location is determinedresponsive to detected signal strength of the one or more of theplurality of communication nodes in the wireless mesh network.

According to another embodiment, the management system is adapted todetermine an altitude of at least one of the plurality of sensor nodes.According to another embodiment, the management system is adapted todetermine a location within a worksite of a monitored subject associatedwith the at least one sensor node based on a detected altitude of the atleast one sensor node and a geographic location of the at least onesensor node. According to another embodiment, the management systemstores for a worksite, a map of signal strengths and altitudes toparticular worksite locations.

According to another aspect, a sensor is provided comprising an elementthat is adapted to attach the sensor to a monitored subject; and anelement that is adapted to sense if the sensor is removed from themonitored subject. According to another embodiment, the element adaptedto sense includes a proximity sensor. According to another embodiment,the element adapted to sense includes a switch integrated into theelement adapted to attach the sensor to the monitored subject.

According to another embodiment, the sensor includes a processor adaptedto detect a plurality of workplace events occurring to the monitoredsubject within a workplace. According to another embodiment, the sensorfurther comprises at least one of a plurality of elements comprising atleast one accelerometer, a gyroscopic element, and a pressure sensor.According to another embodiment, the sensor further comprises aprocessor adapted to store event data relating to the sensed removal ofthe sensor from the monitored subject.

According to another embodiment, the processor is further adapted tosend an event message including the event data to an event monitoringentity. According to another embodiment, the event monitoring entity isadapted to send an alert responsive to receipt of the event message.According to another embodiment, the sensor is adapted to detect one ormore false events. According to another embodiment, the one or morefalse events includes at least one of a group comprising a sensor dropevent and a sensor throw event.

According to another embodiment, the sensor further determines whetherit is attached to an animate or inanimate object. According to anotherembodiment, the sensor further comprises an altimeter and a proximitysensor. According to another embodiment, the sensor, in determining ifthe sensor is removed from the monitored subject, employs one or more ofa group comprising, jump detection, motion integration, altimeteranalysis, impact detection, rotation analysis, post-fall analysis, andproximity sensor analysis. According to another embodiment, the sensoris further adapted to detect if the monitored subject is wearing morethan one sensor.

According to another embodiment, the sensor is assigned to a specificmonitored subject, and the sensor is adapted to detect if the sensor isattached to a subject other than the specific monitored subject.

According to another embodiment, an equipment sensor is provided,comprising: a mechanical interface configured to attach the equipmentsensor to a piece of equipment; a proximity sensor configured to detecta presence of an operator within a range of the piece of equipment; atleast one altimeter adapted to detect an altitude of the piece ofequipment; at least one accelerometer adapted to detect motion of thepiece of equipment; and a wireless network interface adapted tocommunicate data to an external system, the data comprising at least oneof a group of information including: the altitude of the piece ofequipment; the presence of the operator of the piece of equipment; andthe motion of the piece of equipment.

According to another embodiment, an evacuation alert device is provided,comprising: a mechanical interface adapted to affix the evacuation alertdevice; a wireless network interface adapted to communicate with anexternal system, wherein the external system indicates an evacuationevent to the evacuation alert device; at least one speaker adapted toemit a sound when the evacuation event is indicated; and a plurality oflight emitting units adapted to emit light when the evacuation event isindicated.

According to another embodiment, the evacuation alert device maycomprise a button, wherein the evacuation alert device, when the buttonis pressed, may be adapted to pair the evacuation alert device to theexternal system. According to another embodiment, the evacuation alertdevice may be adapted to pair the evacuation alert device to theexternal system when the button is pressed for a predetermined amount oftime. According to another embodiment, the evacuation alert device maycomprise at least one second light emitting unit adapted to emit lightwhen the evacuation alert device is paired to the external system.

According to another embodiment, the evacuation alert device, when thebutton is pressed, may be further adapted to test the functionality ofthe evacuation alert device. According to another embodiment, testingthe functionality of the evacuation alert device may comprise emittingsound from the at least one speaker and emitting light from theplurality of light emitting units.

According to another embodiment, the plurality of light emitting unitsmay be adapted to emit light in a plurality of different patterns.According to another embodiment, the plurality of light emitting unitsmay be adapted to emit light in a pattern, of the plurality of differentpatterns, depending on a type of the evacuation event. According toanother embodiment, the plurality of light emitting units may bedisposed on at least two sides of the evacuation alert device. Accordingto another embodiment, the plurality of light emitting units may beLEDs.

According to another embodiment, the at least one speaker may be adaptedto emit a plurality of different sounds. According to anotherembodiment, the at least one speaker may be adapted to emit a sound, ofthe plurality of different sounds, depending on a type of the evacuationevent. According to another embodiment, the evacuation alert device maycomprise a battery, wherein, when the battery drops below a threshold ofcharge, the at least one speaker may be adapted to make a noiseindicating the battery dropped below the threshold of charge.

According to another embodiment, the evacuation alert device maycomprise at least one third light emitting unit adapted to emit light ofa higher intensity than the light emitted by the plurality of lightemitting units. According to another embodiment, the at least one thirdlight emitting unit may be adapted to provide emergency light during theevacuation event. According to another embodiment, the at least onethird light emitting unit may be adapted to emit light of a differentcolor than the light emitted by the plurality of light emitting units.According to another embodiment, the at least one third light emittedunit may be adapted to emit white light and the plurality of lightemitting units may be adapted to emit red light.

According to another embodiment, the mechanical interface may be adaptedto affix the evacuation alert device to a wall or to a ceiling.According to another embodiment, the mechanical interface may compriseat least one of the group consisting of: at least one screw; anadhesive; and at least one magnet.

According to another embodiment, the evacuation alert device maycomprise a cover, wherein the wireless network interface, the at leastone speaker, and the plurality of light emitting units are disposedinside the cover. According to another embodiment, the cover may beweatherproof. According to another embodiment, the cover may include aspeaker grill that may allow for sound emitted from the at least onespeaker to pass through the cover. According to another embodiment, thecover may allow for light emitted by the plurality of light emittingunits to pass through the cover. According to another embodiment, thebutton of the evacuation alert device may be pressed through the cover.

According to another embodiment, the evacuation event may be indicatedby an authorized person, at least by causing the external system toindicate the evacuation event to the evacuation alert device. Accordingto another embodiment, the wireless network interface may be adapted tocommunicate on a wireless mesh network. According to another embodiment,the wireless network interface may be adapted to communicate, on thewireless mesh network, with one or more entities selected from the groupconsisting of: at least one sensor device; at least one supervisordevice; and at least one management system. According to anotherembodiment, the evacuation alert device may be adapted to receivemessages from the one or more entities.

According to another embodiment, the one or more entities may be atleast one management system, and the evacuation alert device may beadapted to send at least one message to the at least one managementsystem. According to another embodiment, the wireless network interfacemay be adapted to communicate on the wireless mesh network to determinea location of the evacuation alert device. According to anotherembodiment, the wireless network interface may be adapted to send atleast one signal to at least one node on the wireless mesh network, andthe location of the evacuation alert device may be determined by astrength of the at least one signal received by the at least one node onthe mesh network.

According to another embodiment, the management system may store ahistory of the evacuation event. According to another embodiment, themanagement system may be adapted to display the history of theevacuation event to a user.

According to another embodiment, the one or more entities may include atleast one sensor device and a management system, wherein the at leastone sensor device is assigned to a worker, and may be adapted to send asignal to the management system indicating that the worker hasacknowledged the evacuation event indicated by the evacuation alertdevice. According to another embodiment, the management system may beadapted to allow a user to track workers who have acknowledged theevacuation event indicated by the evacuation alert device and workerswho have not acknowledged the evacuation event indicated by theevacuation alert device. According to another embodiment, the managementsystem may be adapted to allow the user to view locations of the workerswho have acknowledged the evacuation event indicated by the evacuationalert device and locations of the workers who have not acknowledged theevacuation event indicated by the evacuation alert device.

Still other aspects, examples, and advantages of these exemplary aspectsand examples, are discussed in detail below. Moreover, it is to beunderstood that both the foregoing information and the followingdetailed description are merely illustrative examples of various aspectsand examples, and are intended to provide an overview or framework forunderstanding the nature and character of the claimed aspects andexamples. Any example disclosed herein may be combined with any otherexample in any manner consistent with at least one of the objects, aims,and needs disclosed herein, and references to “an example,” “someexamples,” “an alternate example,” “various examples,” “one example,”“at least one example,” “this and other examples” or the like are notnecessarily mutually exclusive and are intended to indicate that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the example may be included in at least one example. Theappearances of such terms herein are not necessarily all referring tothe same example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Various aspects of at least one example are discussed below withreference to the accompanying figures, which are not intended to bedrawn to scale. The figures are included to provide an illustration anda further understanding of the various aspects and examples, and areincorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, but are notintended as a definition of the limits of a particular example. Thedrawings, together with the remainder of the specification, serve toexplain principles and operations of the described and claimed aspectsand examples. In the figures, each identical or nearly identicalcomponent that is illustrated in various figures is represented by alike numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may belabeled in every figure. In the figures:

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a distributed computer system capable ofimplementing various aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows an example check-in station according to one embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 3 shows an example sensor architecture according to one embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows example event management functions that the systemaccording to various embodiments of the present invention may perform;

FIG. 5 shows an example process for managing sensor devices andworkplace events according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows another example process for operating sensors in a meshnetwork according various aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows an example process for admitting a sensor to a mesh networkaccording to various aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 8A shows an example message format according to various aspects ofthe present invention;

FIG. 8B shows an example admin block message according to variousaspects of the present invention;

FIG. 8C shows an example beacon block message according to variousaspects of the present invention;

FIG. 8D shows an example router block message according to variousaspects of the present invention;

FIG. 8E shows an example SIM block message according to various aspectsof the present invention;

FIG. 8F shows an example status relay block message according to variousaspects of the present invention;

FIG. 8G shows an example even block message according to various aspectsof the present invention;

FIG. 9 shows an example mesh network configuration according to variousaspects of the present invention;

FIG. 10 shows another example mesh network configuration according tovarious aspects of the present invention;

FIGS. 11A-11B show several views of a sensor device according to variousaspects of the present invention;

FIGS. 12A-12C show additional views of a sensor device according tovarious aspects of the present invention;

FIGS. 13-24 show several management interfaces according to variousaspects of the present invention;

FIG. 25 shows an embodiment of an equipment sensor according to variousembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 26 shows an example system in which the equipment sensor may beused;

FIG. 27 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of an evacuation alertdevice according to various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 28 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of an evacuation alertdevice according to various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 29 shows an embodiment of an evacuation alert device according tovarious embodiments of the present invention; and

FIGS. 30-34 show several management interfaces according to variousaspects of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to one implementation, a system is provided that is capable ofmonitoring subjects and equipment throughout the workplace. Forinstance, the system may include a monitor having various sensingcapabilities that may be assigned to a monitored subject, the monitorbeing capable of recording various parameters that are personal to theworker. For instance, it is appreciated that there may be a sensor thatcan be attached to the monitored subject (e.g., at the belt line) thatis adapted to monitor certain parameters associated with the worker'senvironment. As discussed, according to one embodiment, the belt line ofa worker (or other center of mass location) may be beneficial formonitoring the location of the worker, detecting accurately slip, fall,and other events, and avoiding false events. For instance, a sensorassigned to the monitored subject may be capable of determining thelocation of the subject, along with motion, impacts, altitude, and otherenvironmental parameters that could affect the health or other conditionof the worker. Further, it is appreciated that it may be helpful torecord and visualize various information from individual or a collectionof workers that are obtained through the monitoring function.

According to some embodiments, an alerting system is provided to permitworkers to be warned regarding workplace issues in a timely manner. Asdiscussed, it may be beneficial to have the capability of warning othersin a work area using an alert device that is capable of receiving alertmessages from various entities and providing warnings in the form oflight and sound to a surrounding area. Such devices may be capable ofcommunicating on a wireless mesh network, and may be operable to receivealert messages from different entities, such as sensors, managementsystems, communication devices (e.g., a supervisor mobile device), orother entities. Further, systems may be provided that allow alert eventsthat are translated to evacuation alerts to be tracked, acknowledged byusers (e.g., sensor wearers), and cleared.

In another instance, the system may include an equipment monitor havingvarious sensing capabilities that may be assigned to a piece ofequipment, the equipment monitor being capable of recording variousparameters associated with the piece of equipment. For instance, theequipment monitor may be attached to the piece of equipment and maymonitor certain parameters associated with the piece of equipment'senvironment. The equipment monitor may be capable of determining thelocation of the piece of equipment, along with motion, altitude, andother parameters that may affect the state or condition of the piece ofequipment. Further, the equipment monitor may be capable of analyzingthese parameters using a set of programmable coefficients and thresholdsto determine the operating mode or state of a particular type ofequipment. The equipment monitor may be located on the piece ofequipment in a location such that the equipment monitor may determine ifan operator is present at the piece of equipment. The equipment monitormay emit a Radio Frequency signal which may be receiver by a sensor wornby a worker such that the worker's sensor can determine relativeproximity to the equipment sensor. Further, it is appreciated that itmay be helpful to record and visualize various information fromindividual or a collection of pieces of equipment that are obtainedthrough the monitoring function.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a distributed computer system 103capable of implementing various aspects of the present invention. Inparticular, distributed system 103 includes one or more end systems 104,one or more nodes (e.g., nodes 102A-102D) configured in a wirelessnetwork, and one or more sensors assigned to monitored subjects (e.g.,monitored subject 101). Some or all of these entities may be coupledthrough a one or more communication networks, such as by a wirelessnetwork, the Internet, and the like.

Generally, users such as a managing user at a particular worksite (e.g.,users 105 at worksite 100) may access a management program through aclient application that is executed on one or more of end systems (e.g.,end systems 104). End systems 104 may include, for example, a desktopcomputer system, mobile device, tablet or any other computer systemhaving a display.

As discussed, various aspects of the present invention relate tointerfaces through which the user can interact with a management system(e.g., management system 101) to monitor subjects and equipment andperform management functions using their monitored data. To this end, aclient application may be provided that may include one or moreinterfaces through which management users access the distributedcomputer system 103. Other applications may be provided that permitmanagement users to assign sensors to monitored subjects and equipmentat the worksite, and to retrieve and reassign sensors after a particularmonitored subject has left the worksite or a piece of equipment is nolonger in use. Some system aspects relate to monitoring workers andequipment that travel from one site to another as well.

Further, sensor data including events, indications of the location of anevent, evacuation alerts associated with an event, the time at which anevent occurred, and any parameters associated with that event may becommunicated through a communication network to the distributed computersystem (e.g. computer system 103). In one embodiment, a logical location(e.g., a specific room on a specific floor of a building) may beinferred by the system, responsive to an altitude of the sensor, anddetermined location of the user or the piece of equipment (e.g., basedon relative position of the sensor to one or more fixed locations). Asdiscussed, the communication network may be a wireless network that isconfigured and arranged on a particular worksite (e.g., worksite 100).In one implementation, the wireless network may be constructed of anumber of wireless nodes (e.g., nodes 102A-102D) that communicatetogether to form a mesh-type network.

According to one embodiment, a sensor associated with a monitoredsubject or piece of equipment may experience certain environmentalparameters within the workplace, and may store events within a memory ofthe sensor device. In one embodiment, the sensor periodicallycommunicates with a computer system (e.g., distributed computer system103) to transfer event messages. Such event messages may be received andstored within one or more storage elements of the distributed computersystem. Information associated with those events may be presented, forexample, within a management interface, within an event message sent tomanagement users, and/or sent to one or more external systems (e.g., aresource planning system).

FIG. 2 shows an example check-in station (e.g. check-in station 202)according to one embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment,a check-in station may be provided that permits one or more check-inoperators (e.g., operator 205) to associate monitored subjects (e.g.,monitored subject 201) with respective sensors (e.g., sensors 206). Tothis end, check in station 202 may include one or more computer systems(e.g., system 204) having one or more management interfaces that allowthe check-in operator to associate a sensor with a monitored subject. Inone implementation, system 204 includes a reader/interface 203 that hasthe capability of identifying sensors individually during the check-inprocess. For instance, reader/interface 203 may identify a sensor usingRFID.

System 204 may also be capable of identifying a monitored subject 201 atthe worksite (e.g., worksite 200). For instance, the monitored subjectmay have one or more user identifications that can be read by one ormore systems (e.g., system 204). Thus, an operator user may scan an IDof a subject or perform any other method for identifying the subject(e.g., receive biometric data, view a picture of the subject andvisually identify him/her, or the like) and by scanning a sensor using acomputer system at the checkpoint, the computer system associates themonitored subject with a particular sensor. A record identifying thatparticular monitored subject to be stored within the memory of thedistributed computer system (e.g., distributed computer system 207).Thereafter, the system may monitor events and other parametersassociated with the assigned sensor as the monitored subject operateswithin the monitored worksite.

As discussed earlier, a wireless communication network may be configuredon the worksite including one or more nodes (e.g., nodes 208A-208ZZ)that are interconnected within a mesh network. Monitored subjects (e.g.,monitored subject 101) operating within the monitored worksite (e.g.,worksite 200) encounter various conditions within the worksite, andtheir assigned sensor devices track and record events associated withthose particular conditions. Further, the sensors communicate over themesh network by communicating with one or more nodes which relay themessages to the distributed computer system (e.g., computer system 207).Distributed computer system 207 may include one or more managementinterfaces used for the purpose of monitoring users, events, and theirassociated data.

In one embodiment, the system is capable of supporting a worker or pieceof equipment traveling between sites. For instance, the sensor may,according to one implementation, be capable of identifying and joining amesh network at any one of multiple geographically distinct locations.Upon joining any network, all of the features of the sensor will beavailable, along with identification of the site's network to which thesensor is connected. The system may be associated (e.g., using amanagement system) to associate the sensor with multiple mesh networks,and when the sensor comes within a communication range of the network,the sensor automatically joins the network. This may be useful, forexample, for a supervisory worker or other role that requires visits tomultiple locations.

In another embodiment, the system is capable of supporting a worker orpiece of equipment traveling between sites wherein events may be locallystored within the sensor along with location data. For instance, thesensor may, according to one implementation, be capable of storingalerts detected when not connected to the mesh network, oralternatively, transmitting them through an alternate network (e.g.,cell phone network, Bluetooth, or other communication capability). Thesensor may also be configured to transition to an unconnected mode whennot in range of the mesh network (or any other network).

FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of a sensor device according to variousembodiments of the present invention. For instance, sensor 300 mayinclude one or more components including a processing component thatincludes, but is not limited to, a controller 301 that is capable ofprocessing data. Controller 301 may be, for example, a microprocessor,microcontroller or other processing entity that is capable of receivingevent data, performing analyses of the data, and communicatinginformation over one or more communication interfaces. Components may becoupled to the controller internal to the sensor using one or moreconnections, circuits, busses or other connection elements.

Device 300 may also include one or more sensing elements, such asaccelerometers (e.g., accelerometer 302), gyros (e.g. Gyro 303),pressure sensors (e.g., pressure sensor 304), magnetometers (e.g.,magnetometer 306), or any other detector type (e.g., other detectors 311(e.g., temperature)). As discussed, device 300 may be RFID capable, andto this end, device 300 may include an RFID transponder (e.g.transponder 305). When scanned, the RFID transponder may provide anidentifier of the particular sensor device (e.g., device 300). The RFIDtransponder or tag may be an active tag, a passive tag, battery-assistedpassive tag, or other implementation. The RFID function can beimplemented in conjunction with or separate from other sensor functions.In an alternative embodiment, RFID capability may be built in to one ormore of the mesh network nodes, and a control on the node may beprovided that permits a sensor to be admitted to the network without aseparate computer system (e.g., at a check-in location). In such a case,the network node, after scanning the RFID of the sensor, sends a messageover an administration channel to admit the sensor to the network.

Device 300 may also include one or more network interfaces (e.g.,network interface 307) through which the sensor device communicatesinformation to other systems. To this end, sensor device 300 may alsoinclude one or more antennas 310 that permit the sensor to communicatewirelessly to one or more mesh nodes within the mesh network (e.g., meshnetwork 312). System 300 may also include a power source 308, such as abattery. In one model implementation, the system is architected tominimize the amount of power drawn on the battery such that the sensorsneed not be recharged at the worksite.

According to another embodiment, sensor 300 includes a proximity sensor309 that is used to determine whether or not the sensor is being worn byan actual human subject. For instance, in a situation involving fraud, asensor may be purposefully dropped, thrown, or tied to some other objectthat experiences certain environmental conditions. To avoid falsealarms, workplace fraud, and other indications not involving theassigned monitored subject, system 300 may have a proximity sensor thatis capable of nullifying an alert, or otherwise qualifying informationthat may be provided by the sensor. Such a proximity sensor may include,for example, one or more detection elements such as an IR or capacitiveproximity sensing element as known in the art. In certain cases, it maybe beneficial to place the sensor device in a low power mode until thesensor is actually attached to a user in the prescribed manner and toeliminate false indications and reporting.

In addition to or in substitute for the proximity sensor, sensor 300 mayinclude a switch integrated into the sensor that detects when the sensoris attached to the user. In one implementation, the switch isincorporated within a clip of the sensor (e.g., switch sensor 313) thatattaches the sensor to the user. The switch is configured to provide anindication when the clip is attached to something. Such a switch can beused for power saving, as the sensor may be transformed to a low-powermode when the clip is not attached. Further the use of the switch may berecorded, and can be used for fraud prevention, such as the case when afall is detected. For instance, if the device is unclipped immediatelybefore an event, it raises questions about the authenticity of thatevent. In one implementation, the sensor is capable of detecting andrecording detachments of 100 milliseconds or more, so that when thedevice is moved from one person (e.g., to another person or object), theremoval is detected and recorded. For instance, even if the sensor isquickly removed for one person to another, or from a person to anobject, the device may store an event in the sensor and/or communicatethat event to the system (e.g., a supervisor, management system, etc.)via a message sent on the mesh network.

According to another embodiment, the sensor may include a switch (e.g.,pushbutton switch 314) that permit the user/wearer to perform a manualalert. In particular, the user may push a button on the sensor to alertothers of a safety issue. For instance, depending on the settingsassociated with the button, an activation of the button could indicate awitnessed safety violation, an emergency condition, or other workplacesituation. According to various embodiments, certain button selectionpatterns may be used by the user to create different types of manualalerts. For instance, a single press may be a safety alert, a triplepress may be an emergency situation, among others.

Also, according to another embodiment, the sensor may include a speaker,sound module, transducer, or other type of sound generating component togenerate audio alerts. For instance, in one embodiment, thesound-generating component may be configured to generate sounds uponcertain conditions (e.g., pressing of a pushbutton, making a chirpsound, etc.). Other capabilities may be provided by similarsound-generating component, such as providing a centralized evacuationalert, where an action taken by a supervisor or computer system cancause all sensors on a site or sublocation to start alarming. In anotherimplementation, the system may be configured to allow for a supervisor'ssensor to make an audible alert when any worker experiences an event. Insuch a case, the supervisor may check their sensor or other computersystem (e.g., a mobile device) for details regarding the event. Further,responsive to a visual (e.g., LED) and/or audio alert, the wearer mayuse a feedback component such as a push button to acknowledge an eventand communicate information to the system. For instance, the sensor mayinclude an LED indicator when a push button is pressed. In the case ofan emergency alert, the LED may be configured to indicate a differentcolor/pattern when the alert has been acknowledged. For example, amessage may be sent to the sensor if acknowledged, indicating to thewearer that help is on the way. The sensor may be configured to providean alert acknowledgement that is audible as well. It should beappreciated that one or more statuses of an alert may correspond to oneor more indicators, or indicator combinations.

Also, as discussed, the sensor may include a pressure sensor (e.g.,pressure sensor 304) used to assist in determining the altitude of thesensor. In particular, the wearer's altitude may be determined bycomparing the barometric pressure as measured by the wearer's sensorwith pressure measured by one or more nearby mesh network nodes.According to one implementation, the altitude of particular networknodes is a known entity (e.g., they can be determined a priori and maybe stored in memory of the node devices). Such information may bedetermined a priori during installation, or may be determined using apressure detection element located within a network node (e.g., within arouter).

These known heights may be used to determine what floor of a structurethe user is located using a table (or other date structure) includingheights for each floor, the data being stored in a database accessiblethrough a communication network. An absolute altitude may be determinedby comparing the sensor's pressure measurement to the values stored inthe database. Once an altitude is determined, a floor of a particularstructure may be determined based on a comparison with the pressurevalues of the known node devices. Once a floor is determined, possibleregions/zones may be determined on that floor using relative signalstrengths to mesh nodes. By using both altitude and relative signalstrengths, a more accurate location within the worksite may bedetermined.

In a more detailed embodiment, the sensor (e.g., sensor 300) may includea low-power microcontroller. Such a microcontroller may include one ormore radios (e.g., a radio operating in the 900 MHz band). The sensormay include a 6-axis MEMS accelerometer and gyroscope to performdetection of events. The sensor may include other components, such as,for example, rechargeable batteries, barometric sensor, a capacitiveproximity sensor, RFID transponder, among others.

FIG. 4 shows example event management functions that the systemaccording to various embodiments of the present invention may perform.For example, it would be beneficial to have a system that can determinewhether a worker or other subject being monitored experienced aworkplace accident or other condition. For instance, it would be highlyadvantageous to be able to detect, record, and alert for workplaceaccidents such as slips and falls, falls from ladders or other heightconditions, among other types of events.

With each event, the sensor may determine whether an event occurred,along with parameters associated with that event. For instance, thesensor may indicate the location of the event. This may be determined,for example, by determination that a particular sensor is within rangeof a particular router node. Location may also be interpolated based onrelative signal strength received from one or more router nodes.Location may also be determined through triangulation or some othermethod. It may be useful to have real-time alerts for certain accidenttypes that includes location information, as emergency personnel may bedispatched to the identified location in less time. To this end, thesystem may also be configured to communicate with emergency systems(e.g., a 911 system) for the purpose of receiving emergency service in amore expedited manner.

The sensor may also be capable of determining how high and how hard aparticular fall was associated with an event. The sensor may be capableof determining the type of fall (e.g., forward, backward, number ofrotations or altitude during the fall, etc.) based on parametersdetected by the accelerometers and/or gyroscopic devices within thesensor.

The sensor may also be capable of determining whether the sensor isbeing worn properly or at all at the time an event occurred. Such anindication may be used to eliminate false signals and/or alerting, ormay be used to qualify (or disqualify) a particular reading or event.

The sensor may include a memory element that stores event data, alongwith a time at which the event occurred. Time information may begenerated, for example, by a controller, and the controller may receivetime indications from a centralized system (such that all sensors havethe same or similar absolute time setting). Time settings mayperiodically be sent by system elements to synchronize time settingsamong the components and sensors. Sensors may also receive a centralizedtime setting upon admission to the network.

Also as discussed, each sensor is associated with a particular monitoredsubject, and this association may be used to identify the subject thatexperiences the workplace condition and/or generally monitor thesubject. As indicated earlier, a secondary function of the system mayinclude performing compliance and identification functions. Forinstance, it may be helpful to have a system that can verify whether thesubject being monitored is actually at the jobsite, during the time thatthe subject is expected there. The system may also be helpful inperforming a geofence function with certain areas of the jobsite. Forexample, there may be locations that have a certain level of security,have a dangerous condition, need a certain level of training, etc. andhaving a system that can track the location of users and alert on entryof the monitored subject to such locations would be advantageous. In oneimplementation, the system may include a management interface throughwhich one or more geofence areas may be defined and/or monitored.Further, there may be a need to simply monitor locations of subjects atthe workplace, and the system may be capable of providing this function.Further, because the system is capable of determining what workers are(or are not) on a particular jobsite, the system may also be used in thecase of a sitewide emergency response where workers need to be accountedfor, along with their locations.

Yet another set of functions the system could perform relates toresource management and tracking. For instance, it would be beneficialto be able to track and identify certain resources (e.g., roles such asa plumber) at particular job locations and to automatically record theirpresence there. In one example implementation, the system could sendupdated reports and/or alerts when particular parameters are triggered(e.g., exceeding the amount of allocated hours for plumbers for aparticular job and/or job location in a defined period). Suchinformation may be communicated to other systems, such as resourcemanagement systems, that provide tracking and budgeting functions for aparticular job. For instance, a resource management system can measurethe number of hours plumbers are located on a particular job, and cancompare this measurement to a budgeted amount for a particular task. Theresource management system may be configured to provide alerts and/orreports based on such information.

FIG. 5 shows an example process 500 for managing sensor devices andworkplace events according to one embodiment of the present invention.At block 501, process 500 begins. At block 502, the sensor is scanned ata check-in station as discussed above. For instance, a computer systemassigned to a check-in station having a reader device can be used toidentify a particular sensor (e.g., using an RFID reader). At block 503,the system assigns the sensor to a monitored subject. The worker mayhave some identification information (e.g., an ID badge) that can bescanned at the check-in site, and that can be associated with anassigned sensor.

At block 504, the sensor may be connected to the mesh network orotherwise admitted to the communication network. In one embodiment, acommunication protocol may be used to assign the sensor to the network.In another example implementation, the network assigns the sensor to aparticular timeslot for transmission of event data. The sensor may needother communication information, such as site identificationinformation, radio channels being used at the site, network topologyinformation, among other site communication information. Suchinformation may be provided to the sensor by one or more nodes of thenetwork, the site information being formatted within an administrativemessage communicated to the sensor over an administration channel.

After the sensor is admitted to the network, the system monitors thesensor for events at block 505. In one implementation, the sensortransmits events generated within a predefined period during itsassigned timeslot. At block 506, the sensor transmits events to themanagement system. Optionally, the system may alert the user (e.g., atblock 507) of particular events received from a particular sensor. Themonitoring process is continually performed, with sensors being admittedand removed from the network in real-time.

FIG. 6 shows another example process 600 for operating sensors in a meshnetwork according various aspects of the present invention. At block601, process 600 begins. At block 602, system scans a monitored subjectidentification at a check-in location. For instance, a computer systemat the check-in site be used to scan and ID badge or otheridentification from the monitored subject. Block 603, the system scansthe sensor at the check-in site, by reading, for example an RFID tagassociated with the sensor. At block 604, the system assigned to sensorto the monitored subject within the database.

At block 605, the monitored subject enters the worksite. At block 606,the system admits the sensor to the mesh network and monitors the sensorfor the occurrence of events. In one implementation, a management systempassively receives event and other status information from one or moresensor devices. When the monitored subject leaves the worksite at 607,the subject can return the sensor devices when they leave the jobsite,or the monitored subject may keep the assigned sensor without needing torevisit the check-in site.

In one example, the monitored subject may deposit the sensor in areceptacle at the worksite, and the sensor may then be disassociatedwith the monitored subject. Thereafter, the sensor may be reassigned toanother monitored subject. Alternatively, the monitored subject mayleave the worksite and retain the sensor. The sensor, after leaving theworksite and being out of range of the network may enter a power downmode (e.g., after a predetermined amount of time) at block 609. Iftemporarily out of range of the network, the sensor may still recordevent data for a predetermined amount of time, and may transmit theinformation when the sensor is readmitted to the network. At block 610,the monitored subject may return to the worksite and may come into rangeof the mesh network. The sensor may then enter a power-up mode and maybe admitted to the network. At block 611, process 600 ends.

FIG. 7 shows an example process 700 for admitting a sensor to a meshnetwork according to various aspects of the present invention. Inparticular, one aspect of the present invention relates to a process foradmitting sensors to the mesh network. At block 701, process 700 begins.

At block 702, the sensor is positioned within proximity of the meshnetwork. In one embodiment, the system uses a special administrativechannel to perform administrative functions with sensors, and uses theadministrative channel to facilitate sensors joining the network.

At block 703, a sensor that has not yet joined the network monitors andadministrative channel. At block 704, the management system assigns thesensor to the mesh network. This may be performed, for example,responsive to a computer system at a check-in point making anassociation between the sensor and a particular monitored subject (e.g.,as an association between an ID badge and a sensor ID).

After assignment, an access point note sends a pairing request packet onthe administrative channel indicating the sensor to be admitted to themesh network (e.g., block 705). According to one embodiment, theadministrative channel is operated at a low power setting in relation togeneral data transmission channels so that signals will not interferebetween other nodes in the network. However, the signal is operated at alevel that nearby sensors are able to receive the signal and be admittedto the network. Further, operating the administrative channel frequencyat a relatively low power permits multiple check-in sites to be operatedrelatively close to one another.

In one embodiment, the pairing request packet may include informationidentifying the sensor such as a serial number, network identifier, orother indicator. The pairing request may also include information thatidentifies a communication slot assigned to the sensor that uniquelyidentifies the slot in which a particular sensor sends status messages.For instance, the pairing request may include an indication of a timeoffset from the start of a communication cycle. The pairing request maysend other information such as timestamp information (e.g., to provide asystem time setting for synchronization purposes), a common channel forcommunicating in the particular mesh network.

At block 706, the sensor responds on the administrative channel with anacknowledgement message indicating that the particular sensor hasreceived its configuration. At block 707, the sensor synchronizes withthe network communication cycle, and begins communicating with the meshnetwork at block 708, periodically sending status messages within itsassigned timeslot. At block 709, process 700 ends.

Example Protocol

According to one embodiment, a protocol may be provided forcommunicating between nodes and sensors for monitored subjects andpieces of equipment. According to one aspect an RF wirelesscommunication protocol is provided that includes a hybridtime-division/cellular approach to facilitating communication between alarge number of sensors in a sensor network and a cloud-based server.Here, according to one implementation, the term cellular refers to thefact that the network is organized into cells, not a cellular telephonenetwork such has 3G or LTE, although it should be appreciated that anytype of network may be used.

In one implementation, the network protocol may be implemented as aspecialized protocol operating over multiple channels in the 900 MHz ISMband. In one example, the protocol utilizes a Time Division MultipleAccess (TDMA) scheme wherein each transmitter has specific time slots inwhich it is allowed to transmit. This arrangement allows large numbersof transmitters to share a single channel without interfering with eachother.

The network protocol, according to one embodiment, also may be basedaround a periodic cycle. This cycle can be nominally 10 seconds in oneimplementation, but could be longer or shorter depending on therequirements for number of transmitters and maximum latency. The cyclemay be further broken up into blocks, each of which provides a specificfunction to the system. Because, according to one embodiment, thesensors have information in advance when they need to receive beacons,they can keep their radios turned off much of the time, resulting invery low power consumption.

Nodes in the network can be three primary types:

Coordinator/Gateway—Coordinates communication activity within a cell androutes data from nodes in that cell to the cloud server (e.g., via theInternet). These nodes are powered externally and have some form ofnetwork connectivity (e.g., Internet). One coordinator in the network isdesignated the master and drives the timing for the entire network.

Router—Routers can be used as most of the fixed-position nodes in thesensor network. In one implementation, router nodes are responsible forproviding the mobile nodes with location data and relaying data to theGateway nodes. Routers are placed within communication range of aCoordinator/Gateway. In one implementation, router nodes are capable ofbeing battery-powered, allowing for easy deployment.

Mobile Nodes—The mobile nodes, according to one implementation, routernodes include the sensors. According to various embodiments, thesesensors are worn by personnel, and attached to pieces of equipment,moving around the job site. They report status, location, and events tothe nearest router or gateway node. The nearest router or gateway nodemay be determined, for example, by comparing values of Received SignalStrength Indication (RSSI) as measured from the perspective of eachsensor. The nearest router or gateway node may be selected as the entitywith the highest value of RSSI.

The design parameters met by at least one version of this protocol areas follows:

-   -   Support for 500 SIMs    -   Support for 180 fixed nodes (covering over 18 million square        feet)    -   Update SIM location and status every 10 seconds    -   Retrieve event details within 20 seconds    -   Support a sustained event rate of 1.5 events per second per cell    -   Low SIM radio duty cycle (<0.5% while in active use)    -   Link up to 2 SIMs per second at gate stations.    -   In one implementation, the system continues to operate during a        network outage (with local storage of events in Gateway nodes)

In one implementation, the system may implement the followingspecifications:

-   -   RF data rate of 5 kB/s (50 kBaud base rate minus overhead)    -   AP range of 100 yards        Protocol Design

Communication Cycle

According to one embodiment, the protocol is based on a time-divisionscheme using a 10-second cycle. This cycle is broken up into blocks,each of which has a specific purpose and is further broken intotimeslots. FIG. 8A shows blocks within the 10-second cycle, and asshown, the cycle is broken into alternating Normal Blocks and AdminBlocks. Normal blocks are used for most of the functions of the system,and are transmitted on the operating channel selected for the site.According to one implementation, Normal Blocks 800 are 950 ms long.Admin Blocks are used for pairing of SIMs, always transmitted on channel0, and are 50 ms long. In one implementation, block reserves a 10 mswindow at the end for changing channels.

Channel Assignment and Use

In one implementation, the network uses multiple channels to allowadjacent cells to operate independently while allowing mobile nodes tomove between cells seamlessly. In one example system, the followingchannels are assigned:

Admin Channel—According to one embodiment, this is hardcoded (e.g., to adesignated channel such as channel 0), and is used only for pairing SIMswith the network. The admin channel may be used at reduced signalstrength to prevent interference with other nearby deployments.

Common Channel—This is the channel used by all nodes in the networkduring the Beacon, Router and SIM blocks. This channel may be assignedto the network during deployment, and passed to the SIMs during pairing.

Cell Channel—Each cell is assigned a channel such that no two adjacentcells have the same channel. Some cells may use the Common Channel astheir Cell channel. For example, according to one implementation, anetwork with square cells would need four (4) cell channels to operate,and a network with hexagonal cells would require three (3) cell channel.

Packet Header

In one implementation, each packet sent in a timeslot contains astandard header comprising the following fields:

-   -   Project ID (1 byte)    -   Packet Length (2 bytes)    -   Packet Type (1 byte)    -   Source ID/status flags (2 bytes)

Note that, according to one embodiment, destination ID information isnot part of the header, as many of the packets in the system areconsidered to be broadcast. Certain packet types may add a destinationID, however. In addition, according to one implementation, each packetcontains a 2-byte CRC.

Admin Block and Pairing

According to one protocol implementation, when a sensor (e.g., a SIM) isfirst activated (e.g., powered on, woken from sleep, etc.), the SIMstarts listening continuously on channel 0. The normal process includesscanning the SIM at the Gate Station, and which causes the AP to send apairing request packet in the next admin block. The pairing request,according to one embodiment, contains the following:

-   -   Identifier of activated SIM    -   Time offset from start of cycle    -   System Timestamp    -   Common channel    -   Site number of APs    -   SIM timeslot assignment

The SIM responds with an acknowledgment, and then synchronizes to thecommunication cycle (using the time offset in the pairing request) andbegins transmitting during its SIM timeslot. An example implementationof an admin block 810 is shown in FIG. 8B. The admin block containstimeslots for two pairs of pairing requests/responses. Both the requestand response have room for up to 45 bytes. In one embodiment, the adminchannel 0 communication is performed at a reduced power level, and thatno two gates are within range of each other to cause interference.

Beacon Block

According to one embodiment, the Beacon Block supports the followingfunctions:

-   -   Synchronization of communication cycle    -   Allow SIMs to determine a closest Router node

According to one implementation (e.g., beacon block 820 as shown in FIG.8C), the beacon utilizes very short packets to minimize the amount oftime the SIM needs to have its receiver active. Each packet, accordingto one embodiment, comprises the following information:

-   -   Project ID (1 byte)    -   Router ID (1 byte)    -   Status flags (1 byte)    -   Checksum (1 byte)

According to another implementation, the SIMs listen to the beacon blockto determine the closest router. Once the closest router is located, theSIM needs only to listen for beacons from that router and its neighbors.The list of neighbors and other information about the router isdetermined by listening to the router block.

Router Block

According to one embodiment the Router Block allows SIMs to gatherinformation about network topology which is required for efficient useof the network. FIG. 8D shows one example implementation of the RouterBlock 830. The block is divided into timeslots for up to 180 Router orGateway Nodes. During the Router Block, each router transmitsinformation regarding the topology of the network:

-   -   Header/CRC (8 bytes)    -   Cell ID/timeslot (1 byte)    -   Cell Channel (1 byte)    -   Distance from Master (hops, 1 byte)    -   Neighbor router IDs (8 bytes)

The timeslots allow for 1 millisecond of “dead air” between timeslots ofdifferent transmitting devices to allow for jitter. This feature may beconsistently implemented throughout the protocol.

The Routers monitor each other during the Router Block as well. Thisallows resynchronization of both the communication cycle and the systemtimestamp. A master router (e.g. Router 1) may, in one implementation,to be considered the master, and Routers should use the timinginformation from the router with the lowest master distance they receivefrom to allow propagation through the network.

SIM Block

In one implementation, there are 3 SIM blocks in the cycle, each ofwhich provides timeslots for 180 SIMs to transmit their status. FIG. 8Eshows the timeslot division of the SIM Block 840. In one implementation,the SIM packets are short (up to 20 bytes). The following information iscontained in each:

-   -   Header/CRC (8 bytes)    -   Event count (1 byte)    -   Battery level/status (1 byte)    -   Nearest routers/RSSI values (4 routers, 8 bytes)        Status Relay Block

According to another embodiment, a Status Relay Block allows each of therouter nodes in a cell to relay SIM status and routing information tothe cell's Coordinator node. Within the Status Relay Block (e.g., block850 as shown in FIG. 8F), the Coordinator first sends a packetcontaining any commands for the routers. According to oneimplementation, the command may include commands that control therouters to change network organization (e.g. join a different cell) orpower down for a period of time, or perform other functions. Followingthe Coordinator timeslot, each Router in the cell transmits a packet inits designated timeslot containing its own status and the SIM statusesit has received in the current cycle:

-   -   Header/CRC (8 bytes)    -   Status/Battery (4 bytes)    -   SIM Status (up to 40 SIMs):    -   SIM ID (2 bytes)    -   Nearest Routers/RSSI Values (4 routers, 8 bytes)    -   Battery level/status (1 byte)    -   Event count (1 byte)

In one example implementation, if more than 40 SIMs report to a singleRouter, not all statuses are able to be sent to the coordinator in thecurrent cycle. One possible way to mitigate this is to have the routeralternate between ascending and descending ordering of SIMs, so that anymissed SIMs should be reported in the following cycle. In addition,adjacent routers could use opposite ordering, to improve the chancesthat one of the routers would be able to report the status. By the endof the Status Relay Block, the coordinator has (e.g., stored in memory)the current status and event count for all SIMs within the cell, whichit can then use to allocate timeslots and routing for the Event Block.

Event Block

In one example implementation, the communication cycle contains 4 eventblocks, each of which can hold 6 events. In one network arrangement,events generally require two hops to make it to the Gateway, so thisarrangement provides for a sustained rate of 1.2 events per secondwithin each cell. FIG. 8G shows an example breakdown of an Event Block860 according to one implementation. The first portion of the EventBlock is dedicated to routing, where the event timeslots are allocatedto SIMs and Routers in such a way to allow event packets to be relayedto the Gateway. First the Coordinator sends a routing packet, which isthen repeated by each of the routers so that all nodes get theinformation.

The routing packet, according to one example, comprises a Message ID,Source ID, and Destination ID for each of the six (6) event timeslots.This information indicates to the nodes in the system when they shouldbe receiving and transmitting to relay event packets from SIM toGateway. The next portion of the Event Block is the event timeslots. Inone implementation, each event timeslot has room for a 680 byte payload.This is sufficient, for example, to handle 100 samples on each of theaccelerometer and gyro axes, forty (40) samples from the altimeter, plusadditional timestamp, initial conditions, location, and statusinformation.

The final portion of the Event Block is the ACK timeslots, in oneimplementation. In one example, each ACK timeslot contains flags for theacknowledgment of events that were transmitted. First the coordinatorsends its ACKs, and then each of the routers relay these ACKs to allSIMs in the cell. This block provides significant room for expansion asthe block allows routing of arbitrary packets between nodes within acell. For instance, this may be used for initial autoprovisioning of thenetwork, reconfiguration of the nodes, and/or support of new sensortypes.

Cell Organization

FIGS. 9 and 10 show example implementations of possible matrixes ofrouter nodes and coordinator/gateway devices in one or more meshnetworks (e.g., mesh networks 900 and 1000). In particular, FIG. 9 showsa network organization of a mesh network 900 using four cells in asquare-grid layout. This layout could cover, for example, over 2 millionsquare feet using four (4) Gateways and thirty-two (32) Routers.

FIG. 10 shows a hexagonal arrangement of cells in a mesh network 1000.This arrangement covers area more efficiently than a square grid andrequires one fewer channels to operate, however, this arrangement may bemore difficult to deploy and provision.

SIM Power Consumption

Various aspects of the present invention relate to reducing powerconsumption within sensor devices (e.g., SIMs). During nominaloperation, according to one implementation, the SIM may be required tohave the receiver active during the Beacon Block, and to transmit duringits designated timeslot in the SIM block. When receiving the Beaconblock, the SIM can typically monitor at most nine (9) of the timeslots,corresponding to the closest node from the previous cycle and up toeight (8) of its neighbors. This represents 18 milliseconds out of a 10second cycle, or a 0.18% duty cycle. Transmission in the SIM block is ashort 4 ms packet once per 10s cycle, or a 0.04% duty cycle.

When an event needs to be transmitted, the SIM can perform the followingwith the radio:

-   -   Listen for a routing message from the nearest router (8 ms)    -   Transmit the event (136 ms)    -   Listen for an ACKs (45 ms)

Therefore, each event adds 53 ms of RX time and 136 ms or TX time. If100 events are expected over an 8-hour shift (most of these false eventsfiltered by cloud), this results in an additional 0.02% RX duty cycleand 0.05% TX duty cycle. When the SIM moves within range of a router forthe first time, the SIM listens to the corresponding packet in therouter block, which is a rare occurrence in most example deployments.

Total radio duty cycle: RX: 0.20%, TX: 0.09%, Total: 0.29%

Those numbers represent if the device was active 24-hours a day. If thedevice is only used for a single 8-hour shift, then the total duty cycleis <0.1%.

To cut this further, it may not be necessary for the SIM to listen toevery Router block, especially if the accelerometer/gyro indicates thatthe device has not moved significantly. Such implementations may permitsensors to remain in the field for longer periods, and to extend thetime periods between recharges.

Event Analysis

Once an event has been recorded, according to one embodiment, it isanalyzed to determine whether the event represents a real fall or othertype of event. In one implementation, a basic version of this analysisis performed within the sensor, in order to reduce network bandwidthutilized sending false events.

The analysis of an event may include one or more of the followingcomponents:

-   -   Freefall duration: In a simple freefall, the duration in        freefall can be used to compute the height of the fall using:        h=½at ²        where h is the fall height in meters, t is the duration of        freefall in seconds, and a is the acceleration of gravity (9.8        m/s{circumflex over ( )}2)    -   Jump Detection: it is appreciated that the above equation used        to determine freefall duration may not provide accurate results        in the case of a jump, where the user accelerated upwards at the        start of the freefall duration. To account for this, the        pre-trigger accelerometer data is examined for a jump. This can        be represented as an upward acceleration immediately prior to        the freefall. Through discrete integration the upward velocity        can be approximated, and used in the modified equation:

where h is the fall height in meters, v0 is the initial upwardsvelocity, t is the duration of freefall in seconds, and a is theacceleration of gravity (9.8 m/s{circumflex over ( )}2)

Motion Integration: Optionally, if sufficient angular velocity data fromthe gyro is available, all of the acceleration samples can be placed ina reference frame relative to the ground, thus allowing the verticaldisplacement during the fall to be computed as the second integral ofacceleration.

Altimeter Analysis: The altimeter data can be correlated with the fallheight computed above to provide a more accurate estimate of fall heightand higher confidence in the legitimacy of the event.

Impact Detection: the acceleration at the end of freefall can beexamined to determine whether the subject experienced a hard or softlanding. This can be used to help determine whether the fall wasintentional (such as hopping down from the bed of a truck) orunintentional. The severity of the landing can be recorded with theevent in the cloud database, and events with severity below somethreshold will be hidden from reports by default (e.g., to lessen thenumber of false reports).

Rotation Analysis: The gyro data may be examined for angular velocityduring freefall. This is used to discriminate the type of fall. Forexample, a forward rotation indicates the user probably tripped over anobstacle, while a backwards rotation may indicate the user slipped andlost their footing.

Post-fall Analysis: The accelerometer and gyro data may be examined inthe period immediately post-landing to determine whether the subjectcontinued walking normally or stayed on the ground for some time, and ifthe subject stayed on the ground, a determination may be made whetherthe subject rolled around or lay still. These conditions is indicated onthe event report.

Proximity Sensor Analysis: The data from the proximity sensor may beexamined to determine whether the sensor was being worn before, during,and after the fall.

According to one embodiment, the system may be capable of detecting andreporting false events. In one implementation, there are two types offalse events that the system is capable of identifying:

Probable Sensor Throw—These events occur when a user throws a sensor upin the air, either catching it or letting it fall. In one embodiment,these events are characterized by a high acceleration immediately priorto the period of freefall. This acceleration is greater than if the userjumps or falls during a genuine event, and can be used to discriminatethis event type from other event types. The system compares the averagemagnitude of the acceleration vector during a period (for instance, 0.4seconds) immediately before freefall, and if this acceleration exceeds apre-set threshold (2.4 g) the event is marked as a probable sensorthrow.

Probable Sensor Drop—These events occur, for example, when the userdrops their sensor, or the sensor is knocked off their belt and falls tothe ground. These events are characterized by a high rate of rotationupon impact, followed by a period of no rotation as the unit sits atrest on the ground. In one implementation, the algorithm is only appliedto falls that have a measured height of less than a predetermined height(e.g., 2 meters). The system may be configured to identify the peakangular velocity during the period starting when the device is infreefall through a predetermined time (e.g., 1 second) after the end offreefall. If the peak angular velocity exceeds a set threshold (e.g.,800 degrees per second) then the system checks for inactivity bycalculating the RMS angular velocity during a period after impact. Ifthe RMS angular velocity is below a set threshold (e.g., 5 degrees persecond) then the device is assumed to be at rest, and the event ismarked as a probable sensor drop. Input from the proximity or clipsensor may be used to increase the confidence of this filter function.

Location Determination

According to one implementation, the system is able to determine theapproximate location of each sensor by comparing the signal strengthbetween the sensor and each node in the mesh network (e.g., viameasurement of RSSI), and interpolating the position between the nodes.In one example implementation, the sensor records the received signalstrength of each Beacon packet and returns this information in itsstatus packet. The Gateway and Relay nodes also record the receivedsignal strength from each sensor, and send this information along to amanagement system (e.g., an application program executing on one or moreserver systems in a cloud-based environment (referred to herein as the“Cloud server”). In one example, the Cloud server can combine the signalstrengths for a more accurate estimate of the distance between thesensor and each node.

It should be noted that buildings can be complex environments fortracking location in this way, as structures can both block and reflectradio waves. Several strategies can be used to improve locationaccuracy:

Filtering: Because people generally move at a walking pace on a jobsite, and tend to move in regular paths, a significant amount offiltering can be done on the location data to prevent the reportedposition from jumping around.

Pedometer: The pedometer function of the accelerometer can be utilizedto estimate the distance a user has walked in a given period of time,further improving the filtering that can be performed.

Calibration map: For fixed installations, part of the deployment can bemapping signal strengths across the job site, which can then be used toprovide much more accurate location measurements. For instance, in oneapplication, a signal from the altimeter is used as an input todetermine which floor a user or piece of equipment is on, and thenresponsive to the floor determination, a calibration map may be selectedthat is linked to the particular floor. Calibration maps may bedetermined when the system is first installed, and may associate actuallogical locations (e.g., via a map or other locational construct) with apattern of RSSI values from multiple mesh nodes.

Fraud Prevention

Fake Event Generation

In some cases, a user may try to simulate a slip or fall in order tofake an injury. In most cases, this will require taking the sensor offthe body. The proximity sensor or clip-based switch in the device willdetect that the sensor is not being worn, and any events that occurwhile not worn is disregarded. Further, in one example implementation,the proximity sensor has the ability to discriminate between an animateobject (such as a human body) and most inanimate materials, such as woodand stone. In this way, for example if a user takes off his sensor andattaches it to a sack of concrete and then pushes it off the back of thetruck, the system will know that this was not a real fall. Further, thesystem will contain a record of the attempted fraud, so that appropriateaction may be taken.

Location Tracking

In some cases, a user may want to bypass the location tracking of thesensor by taking it off. If the user takes off the sensor and leaves itsomewhere, according to one embodiment, the system detect it is notbeing worn (via, for example, the proximity sensor and/or clip switch)and that it is not moving (via the accelerometer) and the sensor mayalert the supervisor or other system. If a user tries to bypass thesystem by having another user wear his sensor (in addition to thatuser's own sensor), this situation may be more difficult to detect.Within the Cloud server, the system may be adapted to run correlationson the position and motion of the sensors to detect if a singleindividual is wearing more than one sensor. In this case, an alert canbe generated and sent to the supervisor.

User Identification

According to yet another implementation, gateway nodes can be outfittedwith an RFID scanner capable of scanning both the sensors as well asstandard RFID access cards or tokens. In a deployment where sensors areto be kept on site, on arrival the user will first scan his badge, thentake a sensor and scan the sensor as well. This capability allows thesystem to associate that sensor with a particular user or piece ofequipment. When leaving the site, the user just scans his badge, anddeposits the sensor in a receptacle. The system may then automaticallydisassociate the user from the sensor.

Note that access cards may be replaced with keychain fobs or stickersplaced on hardhats or other gear, with the rest of the operation stayingthe same. In scenarios where the user keeps the same sensor day-to-day,they do not need to badge-in at all. Instead, the system may be adaptedto automatically register the user when a user has come within range ofthe mesh network and mark them as having arrived on site. When thesensor leaves range of the mesh network for a specified duration, theuser is marked as having left the site.

The above situation may work optimally when the site is fully covered bythe mesh network. In cases where the site has “blind spots” not coveredby the network, it may be necessary for users to badge in and out. Inthis case, the users can scan their badges, and not their sensors.

Dynamic Sensor Provisioning

To function within the mesh network at a specific site, the sensorrequires configuration information regarding the site, such as siteidentification, radio channels being utilized, network topology, etc.This information is collectively called the “site configuration.” In onespecific implementation, the system contains a mechanism forautomatically associating sensors with the network such that a newsensor from the factory can be utilized at any job site with no manualconfiguration.

To achieve this, all gateway nodes periodically transmit on a fixedfrequency, known as the “admin channel”. These transmissions areperformed at a reduced signal strength, so that only nearby sensors canreceive it and so that the signals do not interfere with other gatewaynodes in the network. These admin transmissions contain the siteconfiguration required for a sensor to find the mesh network. Further,packets targeting a specific sensor may be sent on the admin channel,containing sensor-specific configuration such as protocol timeslotassignments. This may be done following a scan of the sensor's RFID tagor automatically upon detection of a new sensor.

Sensor Device

According to one embodiment, as discussed above, the sensor device thatworn the beltline by a particular subject. To this end, the sensorsystem may have one or more attachments that are used to affix sensor tothe monitored subject. FIGS. 11A and 11B show varies embodiments of asensor 1100 that may be used to monitor a particular subject. Sensor1100 include, for example, a clip 1101 that attaches sensor 1100 to theuser. Clip 1101 may include an internal mechanism that, when clipped tothe user, a switch is activated. The switch may be used alone or inconjunction with other sensors (e.g., a proximity sensor) to determinewhether the sensor is coupled to the user. Further, as discussed above,the sensor 1100 may also include a button 1102 that is used by the userto initiate manual alerts. The sensor may be responsive to one or moredifferent patterns of button presses to indicate different types ofalerts. Also, FIGS. 12A-12C show different perspective views of anexample sensor 1100 that may be used by the system in accordance withvarious embodiments.

Cloud Server System

As described above, a gateway node may be configured to send all events,statuses and scan operations to the Cloud server by utilizing webservices. The Cloud server may include logic that decodes the events,status and scan operations and store the appropriate decodedinformation, along with the source into its database for furtherprocessing and for display to the user via one or more user interfaces(e.g., a Cloud Dashboard). The Cloud server system may be accessible byone or more user types through one or more networks. The Cloud servermay also include one or more management interfaces (e.g., as shown byway of example in FIGS. 13-24 discussed below) through which the systemmay be configured, alerted and monitored.

Resource Management

The Cloud server and its associated management interfaces may allow forvarious users to set resource budgeting information, such as how manyhours on site a particular role (e.g. framer, plumber) will be on siteand on what days. This information can also be loaded via an API forintegration with existing resource management software. Either via scanoperations or a sensor device coming into and out of the mesh networkthe cloud will know the time a worker is on site. It can present thisinformation on its own for planning purposes (via direct detailedrecords, or via charts), or it can compare this to the resourcebudgeting to identify whether the appropriate amount of hours are beingused against budget.

Location Management

The Cloud server can indicate the location of workers and equipment onthe job site, by overlaying pins or dots over a graphic representationof the site such as a blueprint. Dot locations may be determined byinterpolation of RSSI values, altitude, pressure, and/or othermeasurement data. In one example implementation, the pins can beanimated, though with refreshes of statuses, the pin associated with aparticular user or piece of equipment may not necessarily move withevery step, but a management user (e.g., a supervisor) can be shown thecurrent position of all workers and equipment. In one embodiment, thesensor may have a more real-time view of the person's location for thepurpose of event reporting. In the case of an emergency or eventcondition, the user's location may be reported and/or determined at ahigher resolution.

Event Notification

The Cloud server may be adapted to show (e.g., within a managementinterface) a running list of recent events, as well as allow a user todrill into workers or sites and see events that have occurred. Real-timenotifications can be presented when an event occurs. This can be shownon the dashboard, but can also be sent via email or SMS to users such asforemen or site managers.

Status Digest Emails

The Cloud server may be configured to send emails containingconsolidating information for a job on a scheduled basis (e.g., everymorning, every Monday, etc.). These emails can include events that haveoccurred since the previous email, numbers and hours of workers, etc. Inone implementation, the content of status digest emails can be formattedby a user.

Example Management Interfaces

As discussed, a cloud-based server may be capable of performing one ormore management functions with the sensor-based system. Such managementfunctions may include monitoring sensor devices and locations, viewingevents, performing analysis of events, allocating sensors to individualsand pieces of equipment, monitoring employee performance, and monitoringequipment usage, among other functions. To this end, the cloud-basedserver may include one or more management interfaces to facilitate thesefunctions.

For example, FIG. 13 shows a map layout of a particular workplace withina management interface presented to the user (e.g., an administrator).The interface may have the capability of mapping the live position ofthe worker or piece of equipment within certain designated areas of theworkplace. An administrator may be capable of configuring zones andmonitoring workers within those zones.

FIG. 14 shows an example interface that permits an administrator todefine zones on a map showing the architectural view of a particularfloor within the workplace. The system may include a control that allowsthe administrator to define the zones through a drag and drop interface.In the example shown, the user is permitted to resize the zoneassociated with the architectural view.

FIG. 15 shows an example interface that permits an administrator to viewa 3D viewpoint of a particular workplace (e.g., via an isometric viewinterface). In this interface, the system may show the workers' andequipment's live positions within the workplace. This determination maybe assisted by an altitude calculation as discussed above with respectto mesh network devices. Thus, there may be a capability of detectingcertain workers and pieces of equipment on particular floors inreal-time.

FIG. 16 shows an example interface that permits an administrator tomanage notifications handled by the system. For instance, for aparticular installation, the system may permit an administrator toconfigure alerts, determine the frequency and/or times alerts aregenerated, to whom they are sent, etc. Further, the system may becapable of defining rules that can have one or more parameters specifiedby a user, and these rules can be applied to one or more job sites,worker types, groups of workers, or individual workers.

FIG. 17 shows an example interface that permits an administrator to viewthe onsite history of a particular worker. The interface may showspecific performance information associated with the worker, such ashours worked over particular periods, events logged, types of events,among other performance information.

FIG. 18 shows an example interface that permits an administrator to viewa list of workers (e.g., in a tabular form). From this list, individualworkers may be selected, and the administrator may selectively viewinformation relating to individual workers. In the tabular view, theuser (administrator) may view a list of workers, along with their role(e.g., a trade, level, etc.), the floor where they are presentlylocated, a zone (e.g., a logical association of an area which can bemapped to one or more physical locations), when the worker was lastbadged, and hours logged information (e.g., daily, monthly, or someother period).

FIG. 19 shows an example interface that permits an administrator to viewdetailed event information associated with particular workers. Forinstance, from a worker view, the administrator may select a particularevent, which causes a window to provide more detailed information, suchas when the event occurred, the type of event (e.g., as determined bythe sensor and/or system analysis), and any zone or other eventinformation. The system may also track how supervisors address and dealwith identified events.

FIG. 20 shows an example interface that permits an administrator to viewa history of particular workers during their times on the identifiedworksite. In particular, an administrator may be provided a listing ofthe worker's location, in-time, out-time, in-gates, out-gates, or otherrelevant information while onsite.

FIG. 21 shows an example interface that permits an administrator to viewthe actual location of the worker on a map. Similarly, the interface maypermit the administrator to view the actual location of a piece ofequipment on the map. The workers or equipment may be identified as pinssuperimposed on a logical and/or image map, allowing the administratorto quickly discern the worker's or piece of equipment's location.

FIG. 22 shows an example interface that permits an administrator to viewperformance information relating to the presence (or absence) ofparticular workers or groups of workers on a particular jobsite. Thisinformation may aid in planning and/or monitoring workers eitherindividually or as a group (e.g., particular subcontractors). Suchcapabilities may also be integrated with one or more other systems, suchas project planning, accounting, cost recovery and/or other tools.

FIG. 23 shows an example interface that permits an administrator to viewperformance information relating to particular types of workers at ajobsite. Such a view may show quickly to an administrator and/or managerwhether there are issues relating to insufficient oversight, inadequatecoverage or integration between trades, budget issues, or other issuesrelating to particular allocations of jobs and roles.

FIG. 24 shows an example interface that permits an administrator toview, in a calendar view, what particular types of workers were presentat a particular job site, job zone, or other identified work location.This capability may allow the administrator to identify resourceallocation issues, and to more efficiently allocate resources.

It should be appreciated that the system may include other managementfeatures, and the invention is not limited to these features. Also, itshould be appreciated that any of these features may be used alone or inconjunction with any other features described herein.

Equipment Sensors

Another aspect of the present invention relates to equipment sensors.The equipment sensor may have one or more attachments that are used toaffix the equipment sensor to an item of equipment. For example, theequipment sensor may have one or more attachments that are used to affixthe equipment sensor to a forklift, a skidsteer, a scissor lift, oranother item of equipment either larger or smaller. FIGS. 25-26 showvarious embodiments of an equipment sensor that may be used to monitor aparticular piece of equipment. The equipment sensor may include, forexample, a clip that attaches the equipment sensor to the piece ofequipment. The clip may include an internal mechanism that, when clippedto the piece of equipment, a switch is activated. The switch may be usedalone or in conjunction with other sensors (e.g., a proximity sensor) todetermine whether the equipment sensor is coupled to the piece ofequipment.

FIG. 25 shows an embodiment of an equipment sensor according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, an equipmentsensor 2500 may include one or more mechanical interfaces 2510, one ormore proximity sensors 2520, one or more altimeters 2530, one or moreaccelerometers 2540, and one or more wireless network interfaces 2550.

The one or more mechanical interfaces 2510 may be configured to attachthe equipment sensor 2500 to a piece of equipment. The one or moremechanical interfaces 2510 may comprise at least one screw, at least onezip-tie, or double sided-tape, or any other suitable mechanicalinterface to attach the equipment sensor 2500 to the piece of equipment.The piece of equipment may have Velcro permanently affixed to the pieceof equipment, and the one or more mechanical interfaces 2510 may bedesigned to attach to the Velcro. The equipment sensor 2500 may includea physical holder or case, and the one or more mechanical interfaces2510 may be included in the physical holder or case.

The proximity sensor 2520 may be configured to detect a presence of anoperator of the piece of equipment. In some embodiments, the proximitysensor 2520 may be configured to detect the presence of the operatorwhen the operator is operating the piece of equipment. In someembodiments, the proximity sensor 2520 may be an infrared sensor or acapacitive proximity sensor, or any other suitable proximity sensor todetect the presence of the operator of the piece of equipment. When theproximity sensor 2520 detects the presence of an operator, the equipmentsensor 2520 may determine if the operator is authorized to operate thepiece of equipment. This may be useful as a supervisor may be alertedwhen an unauthorized operator, for example an operator with insufficienttraining to operate the piece of equipment, attempts to operate thepiece of equipment. The equipment sensor 2500 may be capable ofproviding an alert when such an event occurs. The equipment sensor 2500may include a speaker, sound module, transducer, or other type of soundgenerating component to generate audio alerts. For instance, in oneembodiment, the sound generating component may be configured to generatesounds upon certain conditions (e.g. detection of an unauthorizedoperator). The equipment sensor 2500 may also include a mechanism forvisually displaying an alert. For example, the equipment sensor 2500 mayinclude an LED indicator to indicate that the operator is unauthorizedto operate the piece of equipment.

The altimeter 2530 may be configured to detect an altitude of the pieceof equipment. In some embodiments, the altimeter 2530 may be abarometric pressure sensor, or any other suitable pressure sensor todetect the altitude of the piece of equipment. The altimeter 2530 maydetermine the altitude of the piece of equipment by comparing thebarometric pressure as measured by the equipment sensor 2500 withpressure measured by one or more nearby nodes of the external system.According to one implementation, the altitude of particular nodes in theexternal system is a known entity (e.g. they can be determined a prioriduring installation, or may be determined using a pressure detectionelement located within a node of the external system. These knownheights may be used to determine what floor of a structure the piece ofequipment is located using a table (or other data structure) includingheights for each floor, the data being stored in a database accessiblethrough a communication network. An absolute altitude may be determinedby comparing the altimeter's pressure measurement to the values storedin the database. Once an altitude is determined, a floor of a particularstructure may be determined based on a comparison with the pressurevalues of the known nodes of the external system. Once a floor isdetermined, possible regions/zones may be determined on that floor usingrelative signal strengths to nodes of the external system. By using bothaltitude an relative signal strengths, a more accurate location withinthe worksite of the piece of equipment may be determined.

The accelerometer 2540 may be configured to detect motion of the pieceof equipment. In some embodiments, the accelerometer 2540 may be a3-axis accelerometer, or any other suitable sensor to detect the motionof the piece of equipment. The detected motion of the piece of equipmentmay indicate whether the piece of equipment is in use. This may beuseful in monitoring how long a specific piece of equipment is use, andthus determine its fuel consumption or determine when the specific pieceof equipment is in need of routine maintenance.

The wireless network interface 2550 may be configured to communicatedata to an external system, the data comprising at least one of a groupof information including: the altitude of the piece of equipment, thepresence of the operator of the piece of equipment, and the motion ofthe piece of equipment. To this end, the equipment sensor 2500 mayinclude one or more antennas that permit the equipment sensor 2500 tocommunicate wirelessly to one or more nodes within the external system.The equipment sensor 2500 may also include a power source (e.g. abattery). The equipment sensor 2500 may be designed in order to minimizethe amount of power drawn on the battery such that the equipment sensor2500 need not be recharged as often.

The equipment sensor 2500 may be RFID capable and, to this end, mayinclude an RFID transponder. When scanned, the RFID transponder mayprovide an identifier of the particular equipment sensor (e.g. equipmentsensor 2500). The RFID transponder or tag may be an active tag, apassive tag, battery-assisted passive tag, or other implementation. TheRFID function may be implemented in conjunction with or separate fromother functions of the equipment sensor 2500. In an alternativeembodiment, RFID capability may be built in to one or more of the nodesof the external system, and a control on the node may be provided thatpermits the equipment sensor 2500 to be admitted to the network withouta separate computer system. In such a case, the network node, afterscanning the RFID of the equipment sensor, may send a message over anadministration channel to admit the equipment sensor to the network.

FIG. 26 shows an example system in which the equipment sensor may beused. In some embodiments, a system 2600 may include a piece ofequipment 2610, an equipment sensor 2620 attached to the piece ofequipment 2610, an external system 2630, an operator 2640, and awearable sensor 2650. In some embodiments, the external system 2630 maybe a mesh network as described herein, and the wearable sensor 2650 maybe a sensor device worn by the operator 2640 as described herein.

In some embodiments, the equipment sensor 2620 may communicate with thewearable sensor 2650 of the operator 2640. As discussed in connectionwith FIG. 25, the equipment sensor may include a proximity sensorconfigured to detect a presence of the operator. If the equipment sensor2620 detects the presence of the operator 2640, the equipment sensor2620 may attempt to communicate with the wearable sensor 2650 in orderto detect and identify the wearable sensor 2650 and thus the operator2640. In order to detect and identify the wearable sensor 2650, in someembodiments the equipment sensor 2620 may transmit a signal at a regularinterval, but at a significantly reduced power level. This may causenearby wearable devices to detect and report the equipment sensor 2620if they receive its signal. In other embodiments, the equipment sensor2620 may receive a signal from the wearable sensor 2650. In eachembodiment, the equipment sensor 2620 may then determine which wearablesensor 2650, and thus which operator 2640, is at the controls of thepiece of equipment 2610. This may be done by determining if a signalstrength exceeds a threshold. This threshold may be set differentlybased on the type of equipment and the location of the equipment sensoron the piece of equipment relative to the operator position.

By communicating with the wearable sensor 2650, the equipment sensor2620 may determine if the operator 2640 is authorized to operate thepiece of equipment 2610. For each piece of equipment 2610 or for eachclass of equipment, there may be specific operators who are authorizedto operate the piece of equipment. Authorization may be determined bywhether the individual has completed certain training/certifications,work experience, trade/job description, subcontractor, team, or othercriteria set by site management. In some embodiments, the equipmentsensor 2620 may determine whether the operator 2640 is authorized tooperate the piece of equipment 2610 at least by determining if theoperator is wearing a wearable device, identifying the wearable device,and determining if the operator is authorized to operate the piece ofequipment based at least on a signal received from the wearable device.In other embodiments, the equipment sensor 2620 may determine whetherthe operator 2640 is authorized to operate the piece of equipment 2610at least by determining if the operator is wearing a wearable device,transmitting a first signal to the wearable device, and receiving asecond signal indicating whether the operator 2640 is authorized tooperate the piece of equipment 2610. The equipment sensor 2620 may alsoinclude an access control list of operators that are authorized tooperate the piece of equipment 2610.

When an operator is determined to be unauthorized, the equipment sensor2620 may perform various actions. The equipment sensor 2620 may send anotification to a supervisor. The notification may be an SMS message, anemail, or a push notification, and may be sent to the supervisor'scomputer and/or mobile device(s). The equipment sensor 2620 may alsoplay an audible alert or display a visual alert on the wearable device2650 or the equipment sensor 2620. The equipment sensor 2620 may also beintegrated with telematics and control systems of the piece of equipment2610 and be configured to disable the piece of equipment 2610.

In other embodiments, the determination if the operator 2640 isauthorized to operate the piece of equipment 2610 may be performed bythe external system 2630. For example, the equipment sensor 2620 maydetermine the identity of the operator 2640, and send a signal to theexternal system 2630 indicating the identity of the operator 2640. Theexternal system 2630 may then determine if the operator 2640 isauthorized to operate the piece of equipment 2610. In such anembodiment, if it is determined that the operator 2640 is not authorizedto operate the piece of equipment 2610, the external system 2630 mayalert a supervisor of the worksite.

In some embodiments, the equipment sensor 2620 may communicate with theexternal system 2630 in order to determine a location of the piece ofequipment 2610. The equipment sensor 2620 may determine the location ofthe piece of equipment 2610 at least by determining strengths of signalsreceived from nodes of the external system 2630. In other embodiments,the location of the equipment sensor 2620 may be determined wherein theequipment sensor 2620 transmits a signal that may be received by atleast one wearable device 2650. The equipment sensor 2650 maycommunicate with the external system 2630 to indicate the presence ofthe equipment sensor 2620, and thus the piece of equipment 2610. Therelative location of the equipment sensor 2620 may be determined by thestrength of the signal received by the wearable device 2650. Such anarrangement may improve battery performance for both the wearable device2650 and the equipment sensor 2620.

In some embodiments, the equipment sensor 2620 may determine an activitylevel of the piece of equipment 2610. The equipment sensor 2620 maydetermine the activity level of the piece of equipment 2610 at leastthrough motion measured by an accelerometer. Various levels of activitymay be set by using filters and thresholds to measure specific types ofactivity. For example, a low-amplitude periodic acceleration within aparticular frequency band may indicate idling of an engine of the pieceof equipment 2610, while larger non-periodic acceleration may indicatedriving or digging. The equipment sensor 2620 may also determine whetherthe piece of equipment 2610 is being operated by the operator 2640. Thefilter parameters and thresholds may be programmable, and may allow foractivity detection to be optimized for a specific piece of equipment.

The equipment sensor 2620 may monitor the overall utilization of thepiece of equipment 2610. This may be advantageous as it may allow forimproved productivity and efficiency, for example by moving idleequipment to different sites and/or adjusting construction schedules inorder to equalize the utilization of various pieces of equipment. Thismay be especially important to rental companies, who may reduce internalcosts and pass savings to customers through even relatively smallimprovements in utilization.

The equipment sensor 2620 may also regulate scheduled maintenance.Maintenance of a piece of equipment 2610 may be correlated with thenumber of hours the piece of equipment 2610 is in use. Larger equipmenttypically have telematics devices that support this, but such devicesare often expensive in both initial and ongoing costs. The equipmentsensor 2620 may be less expensive, and may be smaller and thus bettersuited than typical telematics devices to be incorporated into smallerequipment.

The equipment sensor 2620 may also be able to monitor the fuelconsumption and/or the carbon footprint of a piece of equipment 2610.Since the equipment sensor 2620 may be able to differ between differenttypes of activity, such as an engine idling or active use, data from theequipment sensor 2620 may be able to accurately measure fuel usage aswell as identify unnecessary time spent idling.

In addition to real-time alerts generated for unauthorized users, theequipment sensor 2620 may gather statistics and generate reports inorder to provide the above information. The reports may be sent to asupervisor of the work site, and may be communicated through theexternal system 2630. Reports may be generated covering various timeframes (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.), and may beaggregated to various levels within an organization (bysubcontractor/team, job site, geographic region, business unit, etc.).Statistics in the report may also be aggregated in various ways, such asby equipment type and whether the piece of equipment is owned or rented.The report may include at least a percent of utilization of the piece ofequipment, a number of unauthorized usage events, a number of hours ofunauthorized use, a number of hours of use in one or more geographicalareas, a time spent in one or more operating modes, a number of hours ofoperation since a maintenance service, and an estimated fuel consumptionand/or carbon output.

In some embodiments, the equipment sensor 2620 may also have thecapability to be recharged without having to uninstall the equipmentsensor 2620 from the piece of equipment 2610. While the equipment sensor2620 may achieve many months of battery life, it may be advantageous torecharge the equipment sensor 2620 in-place, especially in cases whenthe equipment sensor 2620 is permanently mounted to the piece ofequipment 2610. In some embodiments, the recharging may be accomplishedwith a standard connector (e.g., micro-USB) or with a proprietaryclip-on adapter. The clip-on adapter may include spring-loaded contactsor a standard wireless charging technology (e.g., Qi). In suchembodiments, the recharging may be performed from a USB battery pack, ofthe kind that may be used to recharge a phone or a tablet. By doing so,the equipment sensor 2620 may be recharged without being uninstalledfrom the piece of equipment 2610.

Herein, the equipment sensor 2620 has been described as comprisingvarious sensors (e.g., an altimeter and an accelerometer) and as capableof performing various functions. In other embodiments, various functionsof the equipment sensor 2620 may be performed by the external system2630 (for example, determining if an operator 2640 is authorized tooperate a piece of equipment 2610, determining a location of the pieceof equipment 2610, determining if the piece of equipment 2610 is in use,monitoring fuel consumption of the piece of equipment 2610, andgathering statistics and generating reports relating to the piece ofequipment 2610). The equipment sensor 2620 may transmit at least onesignal to the external system 2630 indicating measurements from thevarious sensors. The external system 2630 may perform the variousfunctions of the equipment sensor 2640 using the measurements from thevarious sensors of the equipment sensor 2640 as inputs.

Over-The-Air Programming Using Accelerometer-Based Unlock Sequence

Another aspect of the present invention relates to configuration andprogramming of sensor devices and more generally, electronic devicesthat include the ability to detect movement and/or orientation. In oneimplementation of the sensor-based system, there may be includedwearable sensors which are sealed at the factory, which may be updatedwith new firmware/software either at a distribution facility or in thefield. To facilitate this, a system may be provided that uses thedevice's accelerometer to unlock and enable programming mode, so thatthe device can receive a firmware or other type of programming updatevia radio communication via a communication network.

In its simplest form, a device which has not had application firmwareinstalled will remain in a low-power sleep state, periodically waking upto measure the acceleration measured by the accelerometer sensor. Whenat rest, this acceleration measures 1.0 g from gravity, in a directiondependent on the orientation of the device. According to one embodiment,the sensor may use this information to identify if the sensor is placedin a particular orientation, and if that orientation is detected, thesensor starts searching for a signal from the programming device. Theorientation may be detected, for example, responsive to a wake-up event,such as movement, an outside signal, or other activity. When such asignal is detected, the programming process is started from theprogramming device.

Because this process does not require any direct interaction with thedevice other than placing the sensor in a known orientation, thiscapability makes it ideal for programming a large number of devices thatare packaged together, or programming a device while it remains withinits packaging without having to take the device out of the packaging.For instance, according to one embodiment, an administrator can take abox of devices off the warehouse shelf, put the box in a fixture to holdit in the activation orientation, and program all the devices in the boxwithout unsealing the packaging.

Further, it should be appreciated that other methods may be used thatincorporate this feature in a variety of options, such as implementing amulti-step sequence for unlocking programming mode, requiring two (2) ormore orientations. Further, the orientations may also require specifictiming, which lessens the possibility that the devices can beaccidentally placed in the programming mode (e.g., during shipping) andproviding for additional security. However, it should be appreciatedthat various aspects may use the single-orientation system incombination with other orientations and/or programming modes.

Evacuation Alert Device

Another aspect of the present invention relates to an evacuation alertdevice. The evacuation alert device may have one or more attachmentsthat are used to affix the evacuation alert device to a surface at aworksite. For example, the evacuation alert device may have one or moreattachments that are used to affix the evacuation alert device to a wallor a ceiling at a particular location in the worksite. The evacuationalert device may be configured to provide an alert to workers at aparticular location within a worksite in a quick and effective manner.Current methods for alerting within a particular location include manualalert methods such as using a blow horn, a megaphone, or other devices.Such manual alert methods often put the person who is alerting workersin danger themselves. In some embodiments, the evacuation alert devicemay allow an entire worksite to be notified of an evacuation event atonce, which may improve safety of the worksite. According to someembodiments, it may be beneficial to have a device that can be easilyplaced around a worksite to perform visual and audible alerting. Forinstance, a device that has its own power source and does not requirecommunication wiring can be easily used in construction areas that donot have such capabilities. FIGS. 27-29 show various embodiments of anevacuation alert device that may be configured to provide an alert to aworksite during an evacuation event.

FIG. 27 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of an evacuation alertdevice according to various embodiments of the present invention. Insome embodiments, the evacuation alert device 2700 may include amicrocontroller 2710, a radio 2720, an antenna 2721, a battery 2730, apower regulator 2731, a siren 2740, a siren driver 2741, a pushbuttonswitch 2750, a plurality of white LEDs 2760 a, a plurality of front LEDs2760 b, a plurality of side LEDs 2760 c, and LED drivers 2761.

The microcontroller 2710 may be configured to control the operation ofthe evacuation alert device 2700. For example, the microcontroller 2710may be connected to the radio 2710, the power regulator 2731, the sirendriver 2741, the pushbutton switch 2750, and the LED drivers 2761. Themicrocontroller 2710 may communicate with the radio 2720 in order tooperate the antenna 2721, which may allow the evacuation alert device2700 to communicate with an external system. For example, this may allowthe evacuation alert device 2700 to communicate on a wireless meshnetwork, and may receive signals from a management system, other sensordevices, a supervisor device, or other devices. In some embodiments, theexternal system may indicate an evacuation event to the evacuation alertdevice 2700. The microcontroller 2710 may be connected to the powerregulator 2731 in order to draw power from the battery 2730.

In some embodiments, a location of the evacuation alert device 2700 maybe determined by communicating with nodes of the external system. Forexample, the evacuation alert device 2700 may receive at least onesignal from nodes of the external system, and may determine its relativelocation by the strength of the at least one signal. In otherembodiments, the evacuation alert device 2700 may transmit a signal thatmay be received by nodes of the external system. The relative locationof the evacuation alert device 2700 may be determined by the strength ofthe signal received by the nodes of the external system.

The microcontroller 2710 may communicate with the siren driver 2741 inorder to operate the siren 2740. In some embodiments, themicrocontroller 2710 may cause the siren 2740 to emit a sound during theevacuation event.

The microcontroller 2710 may be connected to the pushbutton switch 2750in order to receive a signal when the pushbutton switch 2750 is pressed.In some embodiments, the pushbutton switch 2750 may be pressed to pairthe evacuation alert device 2700 to the external system.

The microcontroller 2710 may communicate with the LED drivers 2761 inorder to operate the plurality of white LEDs 2760 a, the plurality offront LEDs 2760 b, and/or the plurality of side LEDs 2760 c. In someembodiments, the microcontroller 2710 may cause the plurality of whiteLEDs 2760 a, the plurality of front LEDs 2760 b, and/or the plurality ofside LEDs 2760 c to emit light during the evacuation event.

The radio 2720 may be configured, with the antenna 2721, to communicatewith the external system. In doing so, the evacuation alert device 2700may receive from the external system an indication of an evacuationevent. In some embodiments, the evacuation alert device 2700 may receivean indication of an evacuation event from a management system, othersensor devices, a supervisor device, or other devices.

During the evacuation event, the evacuation alert device 2700 may causethe siren 2640 to emit sound and the plurality of white LEDs 2760 a, theplurality of front LEDs 2760 b, and/or the plurality of side LEDs 2760 cto emit light. In doing so, the evacuation alert device 2700 may alert aworksite of the evacuation event. For example, a gas leak may occur onthe worksite, and the evacuation alert device 2700 may alert workerswithin range of audio signals (e.g., from the siren 2640) and/or visualsignals (e.g., from the plurality of white LEDs 2760 a, the plurality offront LEDs 2760 b, and/or the plurality of side LEDs 2760 c) that apossible life-threatening event is occurring and to leave the worksite.

In some embodiments, the evacuation event may be indicated by anauthorized person (e.g., a manager of the worksite) by, for example,pressing a button on a sensor device or selecting a user interfacecontrol on a management system. In such embodiments, when the authorizedperson has indicated an evacuation event, the evacuation alert device2700 may receive a signal indicating the evacuation event. For example,the evacuation alert device 2700 may communicate on a wireless meshnetwork, and the evacuation alert device 2700 may receive the indicationof the evacuation event from nodes on the wireless mesh network.

In the embodiment of the evacuation alert device 2700 shown in FIG. 27,the evacuation alert device 2700 includes a radio 2720 and antenna 2721.However, it should be appreciated that the evacuation alert device 2700could include a different wireless network interface configured to pairthe evacuation alert device 2700 to the external system and tocommunicate with the external system, as the present application is notso limited.

The battery 2730 may be configured to, through the power regulator 2731,provide power for the evacuation alert device 2700. In some embodiments,the battery 2730 may be a 9-volt battery, but the present application isnot so limited.

The siren 2740 may be configured to emit sound during an evacuationalert. The siren 2740 may be capable of emitting a plurality ofdifferent sounds or patterns of sounds. In some embodiments, the siren2740 may emit a specific sound depending on the type of the evacuationevent. For example, the siren 2740 may be configured to emit a firstsound when the evacuation event is a gas leak, and emit a second,different sound when the evacuation event is a fire. In the embodimentof the evacuation alert device 2700 shown in FIG. 27, the evacuationalert device 2700 includes a siren 2740. However, it should beappreciated that the evacuation alert device 2700 could include adifferent mechanism for emitting sound (e.g., a speaker or a buzzer), asthe present application is not so limited.

The pushbutton switch 2750 may be configured to provide a signal to themicrocontroller 2710, which may cause the evacuation alert device 2700to pair to the external system. For example, an authorized person (e.g.,a worksite manager) may press the pushbutton switch 2750 in order topair the evacuation alert device 2700 to the external system, in orderto allow an indication of an evacuation event to be provided to theevacuation alert device 2700. In some embodiments, there may be apredetermined amount of time that the pushbutton switch 2750 may bepressed in order to pair the evacuation alert device 2700 to theexternal system.

In some embodiments, the evacuation alert device 2700 may include an LEDthat emits light to indicate that the evacuation alert device 2700 ispaired to the external system. For example, the LED may periodicallyblink to indicate that the evacuation alert device 2700 is paired to theexternal system. This LED may be one of the plurality of white LEDs 2760a, the plurality of front LEDs 2760 b, or the plurality of side LEDs2760 c, or it may be a separate LED.

In some further embodiments, pressing the pushbutton switch 2750 maycause the evacuation alert device 2700 to test its functionality. Forexample, in such an embodiment, pressing the pushbutton switch 2750 maycause the siren 2740 to emit sound, and may cause the plurality of whiteLEDs 2760 a, the plurality of front LEDs 2760 b, and/or the plurality ofside LEDs 2760 c to emit light. This may allow for an authorized personto press the pushbutton switch 2750 in order to test for a defectiveevacuation alert device 2700, or defective parts on the evacuation alertdevice 2700, and realize the need for replacement.

The plurality of white LEDs 2760 a, the plurality of front LEDs 2760 b,and/or the plurality of side LEDs 2760 c may be configured to emit lightduring an evacuation event. In some embodiments, the plurality of whiteLEDs 2760 a may comprise one set of two white LEDs, however the presentinvention is not limited to this configuration. The plurality of whiteLEDs 2760 a may be configured to emit light of a higher intensity thanthe plurality of front LEDs 2760 b and the plurality of side LEDs 2760c. This may allow for the evacuation alert device 2700 to provideemergency lighting for workers on the worksite, as well as to provideadditional visual signals.

The plurality of front LEDs 2760 b may be capable of displaying aplurality of different patterns of light. In some embodiments, theplurality of front LEDs 2760 b may comprise four sets of two front LEDs,however the present invention is not limited to this configuration. Insome embodiments, the plurality of front LEDs 2760 b may display aspecific pattern of light depending on the type of the evacuation event.For example, the plurality of front LEDs 2760 b may be configured todisplay a first pattern of light when the evacuation event is a gasleak, and display a second, different pattern of light when theevacuation event is a fire. In some embodiments, the plurality of frontLEDs 2760 b may be red LEDs, or may be any other color.

The plurality of side LEDs 2760 c may be configured to emit light fromat least one different side of the evacuation alert device 2700 than theplurality of front LEDs 2760 b. In some embodiments, the plurality ofside LEDs 2760 c may comprise two sets of two side LEDs, however thepresent invention is not limited to this configuration. This may ensurethat the alert can be seen at a 180° viewing angle. Similar to theplurality of front LEDs 2760 b, the plurality of side LEDs 2760 c may bered LEDs (or any other color) and may be configured to display aplurality of different patterns of light depending on the type of theevacuation event.

FIG. 28 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of an evacuation alertdevice 2800 according to various embodiments of the present invention.The evacuation alert device 2800 may include each of the components asthe evacuation alert device 2700 as described in connection with FIG.27. The evacuation alert device 2800 may include a circuit board 2810, abattery 2830, a siren 2840, a front cover 2870 a, a back cover 2870 b,and a battery cover 2870 c.

The circuit board 2810 may include, as described in connection with FIG.27, a microcontroller (e.g., microcontroller 2710), a radio and anantenna (e.g., radio 2720 and antenna 2721), a power regulator (e.g.,power regulator 2731), a siren driver (e.g., siren driver 2741), apushbutton switch (e.g., pushbutton switch 2750), LED drivers (e.g., LEDdrivers 2761), and a plurality of white LEDs, a plurality of front LEDs,and a plurality of side LEDs (e.g., plurality of white LEDs 2760 a,plurality of front LEDs 2760 b, and plurality of side LEDs 2760 c).

In some embodiments, the front cover 2870 a and the back cover 2870 bmay be configured to attach to one another and encapsulate the circuitboard 2810 (and the corresponding components) and the siren 2840. Thefront cover 2870 a and the back cover 2870 b may be attached withscrews, for example. The front cover 2870 a and the back cover 2870 bmay be weatherproof, and provide sufficient protection to the elementsdisposed inside.

The back cover 2870 b may include a compartment in which the battery2830 may be placed. In doing so, the battery 2830 may be connected tothe circuit board 2810 and provide power to the evacuation alert device2800. The battery cover 2870 c may attach to the back cover 2870 b inorder to provide sufficient protection for the battery 2830. The batterycover 2870 c may attach to the back cover 2870 b with screws, forexample. The separate battery cover 2870 c may allow for easyreplacement of the battery 2830. In some embodiments, the evacuationalert device 2800 may be configured to (e.g., with the siren 2840) makea noise when the battery drops below a predetermined threshold ofcharge.

FIG. 29 shows an embodiment of an evacuation alert device according tovarious embodiments of the present invention. The evacuation alertdevice 2900 may include each of the components of the evacuation alertdevice 2700 as described in connection with FIG. 27, as well as theevacuation alert device 2800 as described in connection with FIG. 28.The evacuation alert device 2900 may include a speaker grill 2942, alabel 2951, a cover 2970, and mechanical interface 2990.

In some embodiments, the speaker grill 2942 may allow for noise emittedfrom a siren (e.g., siren 2740 or 2741) to be emitted from theevacuation alert device 2900. In doing so, the evacuation alert device2900 may be able to emit a noise loud enough to alert workers on aworksite of an evacuation event.

In some embodiments, the label 2951 may be disposed on the cover 2970such that a pushbutton switch (e.g., pushbutton switch 2750) is locatedunderneath the label 2951. This way, an authorized person may be awareof the location of the pushbutton switch, and thus know where to pressin order to pair the evacuation alert device 2900 to an to externalsystem, or to test the functionality of the evacuation alert device2900.

The cover 2970 may be configured such that LEDs of the evacuation alertdevice 2900 disposed inside the cover 2970 are able to emit lightthrough the cover 2970. As seen in FIG. 29, the plurality of white LEDs2760 a, the plurality of front LEDs 2760 b, and the plurality of sideLEDs 2760 c are able to emit light through the cover 2970. In someembodiments, the plurality of front LEDs 2760 b are arranged in acircle. In some embodiments, the cover 2970 may have an elongatedhexagonal shape. In some embodiments, the cover may have dimensions ofapproximately 5.5″×3.5″×1.0″, and thus may be a conveniently smalldevice that can be located throughout the workplace.

The mechanical interface 2990 may be configured to allow the evacuationalert device 2900 to be mounted on a surface located at the worksite.For example, the mechanical interface 2990 may allow the evacuationalert device 2900 to be affixed to a wall or to a ceiling of theworksite. The mechanical interface 2990 may include at least one screw,an adhesive, or at least one magnet, or any other suitable mechanicalinterface.

FIG. 30 shows an example interface that permits a user to evacuate aworksite. The user may select a user interface control to evacuate aworksite in the event of a dangerous condition. In such an embodiment,when the user selects the user interface control to evacuate theworksite, a signal may be sent over a wireless mesh network to at leastone evacuation device, as described herein associated with the worksite.In doing so, the at least one evacuation device may begin alerting theworksite of the evacuation event. In this interface, after selecting toevacuate the worksite, the user may be prompted to confirm evacuationbefore the evacuation event indication is sent to the at least oneevacuation alert devices.

FIG. 31 shows an example interface that permits a user to monitor thestatus of an evacuation. The interface may display, for example, a timeat which the evacuation was started as well as the user that started theevacuation. The interface may also display a list of workers that wereon the worksite when the evacuation began. The workers may have theability to acknowledge the evacuation, for example with the wearabledevices as described herein. For example, during an evacuation, a workermay press a button on a wearable device assigned to the worker in orderto acknowledge the evacuation alert. The interface may allow a user toview all workers on a worksite being evacuated, and be capable ofdetermining workers who have acknowledged the evacuation alert as wellas workers who have not acknowledged the evacuation alert. The interfacemay also allow the user to see locations of the workers on the worksite.

FIG. 32 shows an example interface that permits a user to see whichworkers have acknowledged an evacuation on a worksite. As discussed,workers may be able to acknowledge the evacuation, for example, bypressing a button on a wearable device assigned to each worker. Theinterface may display a list of workers on the worksite that is beingevacuated, and whether or not they have acknowledged the evacuation. Ifa worker has acknowledged the evacuation, the interface may display thetime at which the worker acknowledged the evacuation. The user may alsobe able to track the locations of the workers on the worksite, and viewthe locations of workers who have acknowledged the evacuation alert andworkers who have not acknowledged the evacuation alert.

FIG. 33 shows an example interface that permits a user to deactivate theevacuation. If the user deactivates the evacuation, the at least oneevacuation alert devices may stop alerting the worksite of theevacuation event. In some embodiments, after the option to deactivatethe evacuation is chosen, the interface may prompt the user to confirmthat they wish to deactivate the evacuation.

FIG. 34 shows an example interface that permits a user to view a summaryof the evacuation. The interface may display the time at which theevacuation began and the time at which the evacuation ended. Theinterface may also display a list of the workers who were on theworksite during the evacuation, and display whether or not the workersacknowledged the evacuation. The interface may allow the user to filterthe list of workers by whether or not they acknowledged the evacuation.The user may also be able to view all prior evacuations.

Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of thisinvention, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications,and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Suchalterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part ofthis disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings areby way of example only.

What is claimed is:
 1. An evacuation alert device, comprising: amechanical interface adapted to affix the evacuation alert device at aworksite; a wireless network interface adapted to communicate, on awireless mesh network, with an external management system, wherein theexternal management system indicates an evacuation event to theevacuation alert device, wherein the external management system obtains,via the wireless mesh network, from at least one wearable sensor deviceworn by a worker, a signal indicating that the worker has provided inputacknowledging the evacuation event indicated by the evacuation alertdevice, wherein the at least one wearable sensor device is assigned tothe worker based on the worker being physically present at the worksite,wherein the at least one wearable sensor device is configured toautomatically disassociate from the worker based on the worker scanningan identifier of the worker and returning the at least one wearablesensor device when physically leaving the worksite, wherein the at leastone wearable sensor device is reassigned to a different workerphysically present at the worksite subsequent to the at least onewearable sensor device being disassociated from the worker; at least onespeaker adapted to emit a sound when the evacuation event is indicated;and a plurality of light emitting units adapted to emit light when theevacuation event is indicated by the evacuation alert device.
 2. Theevacuation alert device of claim 1, further comprising a button, whereinthe evacuation alert device, when the button is pressed, is adapted topair the evacuation alert device to the external management system. 3.The evacuation alert device of claim 2, wherein the evacuation alertdevice, when the button is pressed, is further adapted to test thefunctionality of the evacuation alert device.
 4. The evacuation alertdevice of claim 2, further comprising at least one second light emittingunit, wherein the second light emitting unit is adapted to emit lightwhen the evacuation alert device is paired to the external managementsystem.
 5. The evacuation alert device of claim 2, wherein theevacuation alert device is adapted to pair the evacuation alert deviceto the external management system when the button is pressed for apredetermined amount of time.
 6. The evacuation alert device of claim 1,wherein the plurality of light emitting units are adapted to emit lightin a plurality of different patterns.
 7. The evacuation alert device ofclaim 6, wherein the plurality of light emitting units are adapted toemit light in a pattern, of the plurality of different patterns,depending on a type of the evacuation event.
 8. The evacuation alertdevice of claim 1, wherein the at least one speaker is adapted to emit aplurality of different sounds.
 9. The evacuation alert device of claim8, wherein the at least one speaker is adapted to emit a sound, of theplurality of different sounds, depending on a type of the evacuationevent.
 10. The evacuation alert device of claim 1, further comprising atleast one third light emitting unit, wherein the at least one thirdlight emitting unit is adapted to emit light of a higher intensity thanthe light emitted by the plurality of light emitting units.
 11. Theevacuation alert device of claim 10, wherein the at least one thirdlight emitting unit is adapted to provide emergency light during theevacuation event.
 12. The evacuation alert device of claim 1, whereinthe mechanical interface is adapted to affix the evacuation alert deviceto a wall or to a ceiling.
 13. The evacuation alert device of claim 1,wherein the plurality of light emitting units are LEDs.
 14. Theevacuation alert device of claim 1, further comprising a cover, whereinthe wireless network interface, the at least one speaker, and theplurality of light emitting units are disposed inside the cover.
 15. Theevacuation alert device of claim 1, wherein the mechanical interfacecomprises at least one of the group consisting of: at least one screw;an adhesive; and at least one magnet.
 16. The evacuation alert device ofclaim 1, wherein the evacuation event is indicated by an authorizedperson, at least by causing the external management system to indicatethe evacuation event to the evacuation alert device.
 17. The evacuationalert device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitting unitsare disposed on at least two sides of the evacuation alert device. 18.The evacuation alert device of claim 3, wherein testing thefunctionality of the evacuation alert device comprises emitting soundfrom the at least one speaker and emitting light from the plurality oflight emitting units.
 19. The evacuation alert device of claim 14,wherein the cover is weatherproof.
 20. The evacuation alert device ofclaim 14, wherein the cover includes a speaker grill that allows forsound emitted from the at least one speaker to pass through the cover.21. The evacuation alert device of claim 14, wherein the cover allowsfor light emitted by the plurality of light emitting units to passthrough the cover.
 22. The evacuation alert device of claim 2, furthercomprising a cover, wherein the wireless network interface, the at leastone speaker, the plurality of light emitting units, and the button aredisposed inside the cover, and wherein the button may be pressed throughthe cover.
 23. The evacuation alert device of claim 1, furthercomprising a battery, and wherein, when the battery drops below athreshold of charge, the at least one speaker is adapted to make a noiseindicating the battery dropped below the threshold of charge.
 24. Theevacuation alert device of claim 1, wherein the wireless networkinterface is adapted to communicate, on the wireless mesh network, withone or more entities selected from the group consisting of: the at leastone wearable sensor device; at least one supervisor device; and theexternal management system.
 25. The evacuation alert device of claim 24,wherein the evacuation alert device is adapted to receive messages fromthe one or more entities.
 26. The evacuation alert device of claim 24,wherein the one or more entities include the external management system,and the evacuation alert device is adapted to send at least one messageto the external management system.
 27. The evacuation alert device ofclaim 1, wherein the wireless network interface is adapted tocommunicate on the wireless mesh network to determine a location of theevacuation alert device.
 28. The evacuation alert device of claim 27,wherein the wireless network interface is adapted to send at least onesignal to at least one node on the wireless mesh network, and thelocation of the evacuation alert device is determined by a strength ofthe at least one signal received by the at least one node on thewireless mesh network.
 29. The evacuation alert device of claim 26,wherein the external management system stores a history of theevacuation event.
 30. The evacuation alert device of claim 29, whereinthe external management system is adapted to display the history of theevacuation event to a user.
 31. The evacuation alert device of claim 10,wherein the at least one third light emitting unit is adapted to emitlight of a different color than the light emitted by the plurality oflight emitting units.
 32. The evacuation alert device of claim 31,wherein the at least one third light emitting unit is adapted to emitwhite light and the plurality of light emitting units is adapted to emitred light.
 33. The evacuation alert device of claim 24, wherein the oneor more entities include the at least one wearable sensor device and theexternal management system, and wherein the at least one wearable sensordevice is adapted to send the signal to the external management systemindicating that the worker has acknowledged the evacuation eventindicated by the evacuation alert device.
 34. The evacuation alertdevice of claim 1, wherein the external management system is adapted toallow a user to track workers who have acknowledged the evacuation eventindicated by the evacuation alert device and workers who have notacknowledged the evacuation event indicated by the evacuation alertdevice.
 35. The evacuation alert device of claim 34, wherein theexternal management system is adapted to allow the user to viewlocations of the workers who have acknowledged the evacuation eventindicated by the evacuation alert device and locations of the workerswho have not acknowledged the evacuation event indicated by theevacuation alert device.
 36. The evacuation alert device of claim 1,wherein the at least one wearable sensor device is worn on a waist ofthe worker, and wherein the signal indicates that the worker hasprovided the input acknowledging the evacuation event by pressing aphysical button on the at least one wearable sensor device.